The Trek
by buckminsterbarnes
Summary: The great James Tiberius Kirk is dead. Or, so the world thinks. After a mission gone terribly wrong, Kirk is accidentally left for dead with no way to get back to his crew, who are knee-deep in mourning the loss of their irreplaceable captain. Kirk has to embark on his perilous journey back to his beloved ship alone as his Enterprise family begins to fall to pieces...
1. Chapter 1

"Standing up here today, in front of all of you, is something that I dreamed I would never have to do." The admiral cleared his throat from atop the podium. He nervously shifted the papers in his hands and looked out into the crowd of uniformed Starfleet members. "When they asked me to do this, I couldn't turn it down." The Admiral continued, trying to ignore the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Leonard McCoy sat in the front row, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. He stared down the admiral with an intense glare, trying to intimidate him into stopping the speech altogether.

"The chance to give a tribute to the unfathomable legacy is one that I had never hoped would happen in my time, but it is one that I take much pride in delivering. Captain James Tiberius Kirk has left a mark on this universe that I cannot begin to cover with words." The Admiral continued, his voice projecting through the crowd.

Spock sat beside McCoy, forcing himself to retain his stoic stance. All of his muscles tightened with the strain as he felt his emotions bubbling to the surface. Uhura clung to Spock's arm, her eyes staring blankly up at the admiral. Scotty's gaze was focused on the ground, his head ducked low, hiding the tears forming in his eyes. Sulu's gaze hardened as he sat straight in his chair.

"I don't have to tell you what Jim Kirk meant to me, you, or the universe as a whole. You already know that in your hearts. No, instead we're here to celebrate his legacy. We're here to remember all that he's done. There is no way to dull a loss this great, but we can turn the pain into fuel to bring our universe into a better era. Kirk wouldn't want you to sit around and mourn his loss. He would want you to use his memory as a guide to bring yourselves to a new and better horizon." The admiral continued to speak, his reserve growing stronger with each word. "James Tiberius Kirk will forever be with us, the community, and Starfleet. He deserves the highest honors for everything that he has done and given to protect the universe, and Starfleet alone cannot give this. It is up to all of us together to remember this invaluable human being and honor his memory."

/

Lava scorched the planet's surface below them. The reek of phaser fire added to the heavy smoke billowing from the rock gagged them. The screams of the enemy pierced the air. The thundering of the rocks shifting and breaking nearly drowned them out.

Kirk raced down the stretch of unbroken rock, narrowly dodging phaser blasts from the enemy troops. He threw himself behind a rock and reached his phaser around it, firing off a few rounds and hitting the enemy fortress. He sucked in a shaky breath as the thick smoke began to cloud his lungs.

"Spock!" Kirk, cried out over the din and Spock dashed to his side, sliding beside him behind the rock. "How are we on the beam out?" Kirk asked breathlessly as he patted a glowing ember off his charred uniform.

"The blast has interrupted our communication capabilities." Spock answered before firing at the enemy over the rock.

"What's our next move?" Kirk asked, taking a quick peek over the rock. Before him was nothing but a lava river spilling over the mountainous terrain.

"The likelihood of the smoke clearing in time for us to make an escape is zero-point-oh-seven percent." Spock gulped as he watched the lava splashing in the distance.

"Oh, and here I was worried we had _no_ chance." Kirk scoffed and cracked a nervous smile. "What if we found a transport?" Kirk yelled back, scanning the fortress quickly, then ducking back behind the rock as parts of the ground shifted and spewed lava.

"It is once again unlikely. The army is liable to have already used them. There is also no telling if we could escape the immediate vicinity fast enough." Spock replied then continued to fire on the enemy.

"What if we found a way to pierce through the smoke?" Kirk asked, catching a glance of the large blaster cannon sitting on top of the fortress wall. "Even for just a second?"

"It is possible, though there is a chance that Mr. Scott will be unable to lock on to our location in time." Spock responded after thinking it over. "What did you have in mind?"

"If we can turn that blaster cannon to the sky, it might be able to shoot through the smoke." Kirk yelled as another piece of the ground shook under their feet, threatening to swallow them whole. "It's the best plan we've got!" Spock nodded in agreement warily and Kirk stood up and fired over the rock, hitting the two standing troops with deadly precision. "Let's go!" Kirk motioned for Spock to follow as he took off towards the fortress. As the two men ran, they could feel the smoke burning in their lungs and the heat singeing their feet. Spock watched Kirk carefully, knowing that the captain was poorly suited for such an environment.

Kirk kept his eyes on the fortress as he skillfully dodged the lava that was beginning to stream by his feet. The ground shook violently again and the rocks beneath him split open and the ground fell out from beneath him. He latched onto a rock at the surface, the black sand shifting under his fingers and burning the palms of his hands. Spock spun around and his eyes went wide with terror.

"Go!" Kirk yelled, clawing at the sand to pull himself back up. "Get back to the ship! Take care of the crew!" Kirk commanded and Spock ran to help.

"I'm not going to leave you, Captain!" Spock screamed as Kirk's grip loosened farther and the rocks beneath him continued to split.

"Take care of them, Spock!" Kirk yelled back as he heard the rocks begin to rumble. "Promise me!" He yelled, but the sand beneath his hands crumbled away and he fell into the abyss.

Spock reached out his hands to help the captain, but he was thrown into the air by the rushing heat of the lava spurting out of the crevice. The hot air and embers singed his skin as his body skittered against the sand and rocks. He scrambled to stand up again as he watched the lava spilling out of the cavern that engulfed Kirk. He was frozen on his feet as he watched the glowing red and orange seep out over the rocks surrounding him.

 _Promise me_. Kirk's words echoed in Spock's mind as he watched the chaos around himself. He turned his head and saw the fortress, the lava beginning to pour over the far side. Spock took one last look at where his beloved captain had once been before he took off towards the fortress. His legs carried him faster than he thought possible. His lungs burned with the effort and the heat made his skin crawl. As he reached the gate, he shot at the large chain, snapping it and sending the door crashing to the ground. He sprinted through and pushed past all of the panicking troops as he rushed to the stairs. He reached the blaster cannon and ripped it from its hinges, then snatched his communicator from his belt, holding it up and ready. His muscles strained as he aimed the heavy cannon at the sky, the smoke above him swirling menacingly. He punched the activation button and the gun sputtered and spat a beam at the sky, tearing a hole in the thick smoke curtain.

"One to beam up!" Spock yelled into the communicator and was met with the familiar tingle of the transporter. As he felt himself being deconstructed, he looked out one last time at the lava spilling over the planet. "I promise."

/

"Spock?" Uhura asked, watching her Vulcan love with concern as his eyes wandered far away. Spock quickly snapped back to attention, nearly dropping the delicate wine glass in his hand. "Are you alright?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Quite alright, Nyota." Spock cleared his throat.

"Good." Uhura said gently, placing her hand tenderly on his arm. "I think that you need to talk to Doctor McCoy." Uhura turned to look at McCoy, who was sitting solemnly in the corner of the room, nursing a glass of whiskey. "I'm worried about him."

"As am I." Spock said as he kissed her on the cheek. He pushed his way through the crowd and made his way to McCoy, who had hardly even noticed him approaching.

"That was one hellava eulogy, huh, Spock?" McCoy muttered, taking a sip of his whiskey. "He talked like he knew Jim."

"Doctor McCoy," Spock started softly, but McCoy quickly interrupted him.

"Everyone knew Jim, after all. He was the poster boy of the Federation." McCoy shook his head. "They knew all about him. How he hated coming in for a simple checkup, or how much he loved to drink a nice neat whiskey after a mission went wrong. He always blamed himself." McCoy continued quietly, trailing off in thought.

"I am here to offer my emotional support, doctor." Spock cleared his throat, pulling McCoy away from his thoughts.

"Did Uhura put you up to this?" McCoy sighed, sloshing around the small amount of whiskey left in his glass.

"She expressed concern for you, Leonard, as I do." Spock folded his free hand behind his back neatly and McCoy rolled his eyes and huffed.

"If you're really worried about me, you should get me another drink." McCoy muttered as he slouched in the chair. "Good thing this 'celebration' has an open bar." He grumbled.

"I understand that you feel that alcohol consumption dulls the pain, however I must warn you that this habit can lead to health complications, such as alcoholism." Spock warned and McCoy rolled his eyes.

"I know that, pointy-eared bastard. I'm a _doctor._ " McCoy scoffed as he stood up shakily from his chair. "I'll get it myself." He huffed in Spock's face, the strong scent of alcohol nearly making the Vulcan cringe. McCoy wobbled as he walked to the bar, bumping into other crew members along the way and muttering apologies.

"That went just about as well as it could've." Uhura sighed as she slipped her arm through Spock's.

"I am concerned about the doctor." Spock said, watching as McCoy nearly toppled to the ground as he reached the counter.

"We all are, Spock." Uhura said solemnly as she looked up at Spock. "But I'm also concerned about you." She admitted and Spock raised an inquisitive eyebrow as his gaze met hers.

"Curious." He started, putting up the emotion barriers in his mind.

"You and Kirk were close." Uhura said quietly. "Closer than he and I were, and I know that it still hit me like a ton of bricks." She felt the tears swell up in her eyes.

"Are you suggesting that I have been emotionally compromised?" Spock asked, the walls in his mind coming crashing down at the mention of Kirk's name.

"I'm just telling you that I'm here to talk." Uhura cooed, placing a gentle hand on Spock's arm.

"I appreciate the offer, Nyota. I offer the same to you, as always." Spock said formally, then turned his attention back to McCoy and trying to desperately to maintain the stoic look on his face.

"Thank you, Spock. That means a lot." Uhura said gently.

"I don' even know what ta think." Scotty said quietly as he approached Spock and Uhura. "Spock, please tell me tha' you're gonna be runnin' the Enterprise," Scotty asked, his eyes swelling up with tears.

"I have every intention of assuming command of the ship, yes." Spock nodded slightly as Kirk's final words resonated in his head once more. _Promise me._

"Glad to hear it," Sulu said, joining the group. "Count me in for the ride." He said, raising his glass. "Captain Kirk wouldn't want anyone but you to sit in his chair, let alone let someone else take command. I'm not about to let the Enterprise sit in junk storage, either."

"Now, tha's the truth." A weak smile forced itself onto Scotty's lips.

"To Kirk." Uhura raised her glass, and the rest of the group followed her lead.

"To Kirk," They repeated.

"We won't let you down." Uhura finished and took a drink from her glass. Spock let his eyes drop to the bubbling liquid as he listened to the small talk around him. "We're going to miss you."

/

Darkness. Kirk opened his eyes, slowly but surely, but was only met with darkness. His head thundered as he shifted slightly, and he didn't know that it was possible to be as cold as he was. He tried to stretch out his arms and flip himself onto his back, but the rocks surrounding him began to cave in around him. Sharp pains ran up and down his body with every movement. He breathed in sharply, but realized that his lungs burned with the effort. He fell into a coughing fit, his chest burning as his lungs contracted and jostled the rocks surrounding him.

 _Think, Jim._ He thought to himself, trying to keep himself from panicking. _What happened to you?_ He asked himself, and everything soon came flooding back to him. The fall. The lava spurting from the ground. The explosion of heat throwing him into the cave. His back slamming against the cave wall and the rocks crashing down at the entrance, closing it off.

 _Up._ He thought. _It's the only way out._ He slowly and painfully wriggled under the rubble and flipped himself onto his back. He began to claw at the rocks above him, pulling them and maneuvering them out of his way. They all began to crumble on top of him, but he didn't care. He kept pushing through, knowing that each rock, each boulder, each pebble would bring him closer to the surface.

At long last, his hand finally pushed through the last of the rock and out into the open. He clawed his way out from under the remaining rocks and pushed his head out into the atmosphere. He took a deep breath that burned his lungs and he began to have another coughing fit, but he didn't care. He had done it. He was out.

He looked around him to see nothing but small puddles of lava and the smoldering black rock from its trail. His head quickly turned in the direction of the bunker, but he was met with only a thick covering of dark rock. Everything around him was laid to waste.

"Shit."

/

 _Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As usual, I don't have a beta reader, so please pardon my mistakes and don't be too harsh on me. Anyway, this adventure is just starting, so stay tuned! Feel free to leave me any positive notes or constructive criticism, I love to get feedback! Thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned for more!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	2. Chapter 2

"Spock?" McCoy asked, his heart beating out of his chest as his wort fears were coming to life. Spock stood alone on the transporter pad, covered in soot and ash. "Where..." He began to ask and his heart sank. "No." He breathed. " _No_." His blood ran cold as Spock shook his head slowly in shame. "Spock, where is he?" McCoy asked, his vision starting to swim. "Spock, where is he?!" McCoy screamed, but Spock didn't meet his eyes.

"The captain..." Spock began quietly as his lungs fought to pull in oxygen. "He..."

"No!" McCoy screamed and hot tears began to flow from his eyes. "No, we have to go back for him!" McCoy's voice shook as he climbed onto the pad. "Scotty, beam me down there!" McCoy begged, but Scotty was staring at Spock in disbelief, motionless.

"Doctor, there's too much interference," Scotty breathed, tearing his vision away from the broken Spock and looking back down at the platform. "It's a miracle tha' we could even bring back Spock," He said, his head reeling.

"How could you just _leave_ him down there?!" McCoy sobbed as he latched onto Spock's shirt.

"Doctor, I-" Spock started, shame rising in his chest.

"You _abandoned_ him! And now," McCoy began to hyperventilate as the possibilities ran through his head. "He-he could be down there, right now, burning alive!" He huffed and Spock's eyes finally met his own. The sorrow in Spock's eyes nearly brought to McCoy to his knees. Spock didn't have to say anything before McCoy realized what had happened. " _No_." McCoy breathed as he loosened his grip on Spock's shirt.

"The captain was..." Spock started, but a tear slipped down his sooty cheek instead. "We were making our escape..." Spock paused again, more tears falling down his face. "The lava..." He sniffed, beginning to feel weak in the knees.

"Spock!" Uhura burst through the door to the transporter room. Spock looked at her with heartbroken eyes and she raced to him and held him in a tight embrace. McCoy stumbled back against the wall and slid down to the floor, his legs buckling beneath him.

" _No."_

/

"Hey," Uhura cooed, placing a comforting hand on Spock's back. Spock sat on the bed, his face buried in his hands. "Can't sleep?" She asked gently, shifting to sit up beside him.

"No." Spock answered quietly, picking his head up.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked, rubbing her hand on his back.

"I should check on Doctor McCoy." Spock sighed and pushed himself up from the side of the bed.

"Ok," Uhura answered back understandingly. "But I'll be here when you're ready to talk."

"Thank you, Nyota." Spock kissed her gently on her forehead and slipped a shirt over his chest. He quietly slipped through the bedroom door and walked carefully through the dark quarters. He silently pushed open the door and walked slowly through the halls of the building, his mind racing. He didn't know what to say to McCoy. He didn't think he ever would.

"Spock." McCoy said gruffly as Spock slipped into Scotty's room. McCoy had set up camp on the couch in the living room, since the entire crew had elected that it was best not to leave him alone. He poured another glass of whiskey and reclined on the couch, refusing to look at Spock. "You got something to say? Or are you just 'expressing your concern' again?"

"Doctor, I wish to apologize." Spock said quietly, folding his hands nervously behind his back.

"For what?" McCoy asked, already knowing the answer.

"I should have done more to save Jim." Spock said, and he cringed as Kirk's name escaped his lips. McCoy flinched at the sound.

"I'm not going to lie, Spock. I was mad at you. You were the only other one down there." McCoy sighed as he took a drink from the glass. "But, it's wrong to hold that against you." He paused and stared into his drink. "Besides, I should've been down there. Maybe that would've changed things." He said, near silently. "But it's not your fault, Spock. I realize that now. Jim wouldn't want me to be angry at you."

"Doctor," Spock started, but he almost couldn't bear to continue. "I have not told you everything that transpired down on the surface of the planet." He stopped and McCoy's eyes finally met his, swimming with confusion. "Do not be so quick to forgive me."

/

Kirk pulled the rest of his body out from under the dark rocks, his body shivering uncontrollably. The remains of his Starfleet command gold tore as he struggled to free himself, leaving the shirt in tattered remains on the ground. He stood up shakily on his feet, each movement sending fiery pangs of pain up his back. His head spun as he tried to keep his balance.

He looked around the carnage surrounding him. Nothing remained. He sighed heavily, provoking yet another coughing fit. Once he calmed his lungs, he turned his attention to the bright day sky, hoping to see something coming to his rescue. Not to his surprise, the sky was empty, save for the swirling smoke clouds scattered around. He bent over painfully and scooped up a piece of tattered cloth that was once his uniform. The Starfleet insignia glittered against the sun as he held it up. he smiled slightly and slipped the piece into his pants pocket.

 _Now what_? He asked himself, still scanning the area for anything useful. He quickly remembered the communicator tucked on his belt, but when he reached to grab it, he came up empty handed. _So, I've got no weapon, no communicator, and no ride home._ He cursed under his breath. _But, I don't believe in no-win scenarios._ He reminding himself and slowly put one foot in front of the other. He didn't have the slightest clue where he was going, but he knew that he had to walk.

His fatigued body shivered violently as he struggled to move forward. _Something's gotta be out there._ He thought to himself as he ignored the pain that radiated through his body with every step he took. He kept himself moving forward, slowly and painfully.

He walked for what felt like days until he heard the low hum of an engine in the distance. A new strength found its way into his bones as he scanned the horizon to find the cause of the commotion. His eyes caught on the glimmer of metal in the distance, and he took off running, waving his arms like a madman. He sprinted to the gleam, and slowly, a rusty, broken down ship began to take shape before him. As he drew closer, he could see a small form standing outside the ship, kneeling down and inspecting something on the ground. An uneasy feeling began to rise in his gut. Something wasn't right.

Kirk tried to scream, but his lungs filled with ash and he began coughing again. He continued waving his arms until the figure stood up and saw him. He smiled wildly as he finally came close enough to the small junk ship to touch it. The figure stood there quietly, watching as Kirk nearly keeled over when he finally made it to the ship. Kirk could see them now, clothed head to toe in scraps of cloth, thick goggles concealing most of her face.

"Who are you?" She asked, watching him closely.

"Captain...James...Tiberius...Kirk..." Kirk panted, bracing himself on the side of the ship. "Of... the USS... Enterprise..." He coughed.

The woman in battered clothing nodded slightly, then quickly reached from the gun tucked into her waistband. Kirk's adrenaline kicked in and he hit the gun out of her hand before she could fire it at him. The gun skittered to the ground and the woman grabbed Kirk's wrist and twisted it sharply. He squeaked in pain before grabbing her shoulder with his free hand and pulling it down, flipping her onto the ground. She released his wrist in confusion and he pinned her to the ground quickly.

"Listen to me," He panted, his lungs burning with the struggle. "I'm not going to hurt you!" He explained, but she snatched a a knife from her belt and slashed it at Kirk, narrowly missing his chest. He doubled back in surprise and she charged at him, thrusting the knife at his chest. He grabbed her arm and turned it, throwing off her momentum and making the knife swing hard to his left. As her arm continued in that direction, Kirk turned her around and wrapped his muscular arm around her neck, pulling her into a tight choke hold.

"Just listen, alright?" He huffed as she squirmed under his grip. "I need a ride."

"Over my dead body." She snarled and he sighed heavily before tightening his muscles. She gasped for air as Kirk held her neck tightly. She struggled until she passed out, her body going limp.

"Sorry." He sighed and slowly picked himself up from the ground. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her up the ramp onto the ship, picking up her small laser pistol on the way. He pushed down the uneasy feeling that lingered in his gut, asking him why there was a ship out in the middle of nowhere. "I really need to get back." He sighed as he disappeared into the junk ship.

/

 _And the plot thickens! Thank you for all of the positive feedback! As always, feedback is highly appreciated, so feel free to leave me a review, whether it's constructive criticism, or just a positive note. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	3. Chapter 3

"What do we do now?" Uhura asked breathlessly, still holding the quivering Spock tightly.

"We tell the rest of the crew." Spock said, quickly wiping the tears from his face. He stepped towards the stairs of the transporter pad, but Uhura held him back.

"Spock, you don't have to tell them right now-" Uhura started, but Spock interrupted sharply.

"They have every right to know." Spock swallowed hard and pushed Uhura away from him. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched Spock turn on the ship-wide channel. Spock's finger lingered over the button as he struggled to find words in his brain.

"Mister Spock," Scotty warned, giving Spock just enough confidence to push the button.

"The is Commander Spock." Spock started, struggling to push his emotions back down. He couldn't think of anything to say. He had never dreamed of being this emotional in his entire life. "I have just returned from an away mission, where I was accompanied by Captain Kirk. I regret to inform you all that the Captain did not survive the journey back with me." Spock paused, his heart sinking like a stone. "I am now assuming the role of Captain." Spock lifted his finger from the transmission button, tears welling up in his eyes again.

"He's really gone." McCoy said nearly silently from the corner. "I don't believe it."

/

"What the hell are you talking about, Spock?" McCoy asked in disbelief.

"The eruption on the planet's surface was no accident." Spock said, forcing himself to speak, though it hurt him to his very core. He knew that it would hurt him more to keep this secret from McCoy. "The army of natives spoke to us upon our arrival." Spock paused and McCoy watched him intently, his heart racing. "This mission was no simple diplomatic dispute." Spock sighed, fiddling with his fingers nervously behind his back. "The army commander told the captain that they had intentions of detonating a weapon that would cause the inactive volcanoes that lie deep below the planet's surface to erupt."

"Wait," McCoy asked, trying to wrap his head around the situation. "Why would they bow up the damned planet they were trying to control?"

"They had transports lined up for escape." Spock explained. "It was supposed to be a show of power."

"I still don't understand why you think this was your fault, or why you kept this a secret." McCoy rubbed his throbbing head.

"The commander threatened to destroy our ship and the planet if we attempted anything at all." Spock continued. "So I made the suggestion to try something... slightly unorthodox."

"That doesn't sound like you," McCoy scoffed as he took another drink of whiskey.

"I simply follow the rules of logic." Spock shrugged. "And the most logical course of action was to execute the commander and disable his weapon quickly without a security support crew." Spock continued, tears forming in his eyes again.

"Why keep this a secret from all of us?" McCoy asked angrily, standing up from his couch shakily. "We deserved to know the danger you two jackasses were getting yourselves into!" McCoy demanded.

"That danger is precisely why we withheld information from the crew, doctor." Spock hurriedly wiped a tear that was escaping from his eye. "This mission did _not_ follow regulation, and we both feared that if the crew knew, there would be consequences."

"You're damned right there would've been consequences!" McCoy threw out his hands in protest. "But those would've been better than what consequences you got!"

"The captain also feared you would attempt to dissuade him from taking this course of action." Spock said, his reserve growing weaker with every word he spoke.

"Well, he was right!" McCoy shouted and Spock shrunk slightly. "How could you come up with such a pea-brained idea and actually follow through with it?!"

"This is why I wanted to apologize, doctor." Spock said quietly, tears falling from his eyes.

"Jim is dead, because of _you._ " McCoy snarled and the glass in his hand shattered, the glass slicing into his palm.

"Doctor, you are injured." Spock squeaked, taking a step forward to help McCoy.

"Get out of my sight." McCoy snapped as he pulled his hand away. Spock retreated to the hallway and shut the door behind him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

 _Jim is dead, because of **you**_ **.**

/

"Captain Kirk to Enterprise," Kirk's gravelly voice could barely make out the words. "Kirk to Enterprise, come in Enterprise." Kirk tried again, adjusting the layers of blankets on top of him. "Enterpriseeee." Kirk moaned as he pulled the blankets tighter.

 _No one's home._ Kirk thought angrily. _Probably out celebrating my life or some crap._ He sighed heavily and pulled the blankets tighter.

He adjusted the dials and switches on the control panel, then pressed the activate button once again. "Kirk to Starfleet command." A frown formed on his lips as the communicator remained silent. "Come in, command." Kirk tried again, but received only static for his efforts.

 _I see, Starfleet's too good to take calls from any old junk ship._ He huffed and messed with the dials some more. _Well, if I can't get a message through to Starfleet, I guess I'll just have to try to get it back to one Starfleet member..._ He smiled to himself as he twisted the dials and flipped the switches.

"This is Captain Kirk. That's right, it's me. Listen, I'm in a junker on Orthegiol, and I would really appreciate it if you could maybe pick me up? Yeah, that'd be great. I'm going to be looking around the surrounding systems for a better ship, but I'm expecting you to call on this frequency when you get this message. You'd better get this message, Uhura. Kirk out." Kirk finished his recording and picked his finger up off the button.

 _Come on, Uhura. You'd better get this._ He thought hard as he pulled the blankets tighter around him. His entire body felt as though it was in a freezer. He figured that he must have some nasty burns, but he couldn't feel them. He realized that probably wasn't a good thing.

 _No sense in waiting around here._ He thought to himself. _I'm getting off this hunk of rock._ He strapped the restraints around the mountain of blankets and peeked over his shoulder to make sure that his passenger was still secured in her seat.

"Enterprise, here I come." Kirk sighed and pushed the lever forward and pulled on the yoke. The engines roared and the entire ship shook and clattered as it slowly pushed itself forward, then upward. Kirk sighed in relief as the ship began to hover shakily, and he guided it into the planet's atmosphere.

He stared out into the abyss of space before him, longing to see his beloved ship and crew again. He would give anything to sit in his chair again, Spock to his right and McCoy to his left, bickering about nothing important as he gazed at the stars ahead. He wanted to go home.

The rapid beeping and blinking of a warning light tore him from his thoughts. He glanced down and saw the small makeshift screen blaring _CRITICAL FAILURE WARNING_. _ENGINE FAILURE._

 _Shit._ Was all he could think. He scanned the rest of the control panel for any sort of GPS system, but only found a stack of star maps in the corner.

"Really? Back to the stone age?" He mumbled to himself as he yanked out the maps and laid them out on the table in front of him. _No sense in trying to fix this hunk of junk, I might as well just land it wherever I can._ He thought to himself as he read through the star maps quickly, trying to find the location of the nearest planet. Once he located it, he threw all of the other maps to the side and pulled the yoke hard to the left, jerking the entire ship harshly. He could see the planet in the distance, a small, green orb coming into view.

 _CRITICAL FAILURE._ The screen continued to blare the warning as Kirk forced the ship forward. _Come on, don't die on me now._ Kirk pleaded as the engine began to sputter and kick out.

"Come on, come on!" Kirk said out loud as the planet became larger and larger before him. He felt the sharp kick as the ship entered the planet's gravity, the entire ship suddenly jerking downwards. "Come on!" He repeated as he yanked up on the yoke, the ground fast approaching. "I didn't survive a volcanic eruption just to die on this piece of shit!" Kirk screamed as he saw the ground rush up on him. In a moment of adrenaline and fury, he grabbed the weapons yoke and pulled it completely downwards, then slammed his finger on the launch button, sending a blast into the plains below. The blast from the missiles hitting the ground send the ship lurching back up to the sky, then sending it skittering to the ground again. Kirk closed his eyes as the ship hit the ground with a hard thud, then flipped onto its side and continued to scratch along the surface.

After what seemed like an eternity, the ship finally finished skidding and came to a slow stop. Kirk quickly fiddled with the seat belt, releasing himself to hit the side of the ship. He struggled to get back to his feet, pulling the blankets around himself again. He shot a quick glance at his passenger, whose chest was still miraculously rising and falling rhythmically. He sighed in relief and kicked open the emergency door, bringing in the fresh air of the outside world. Kirk took a couple cautious steps out the door, squinting his eyes at the blinding light from the outside.

Kirk looked around and realized that he was on the outskirts of a small market. Small shanties stood in a circle, aliens from all walks of life bustling around, a few staring at the wreckage. Kirk turned to his right and saw two startled farmers watching him in horror. Kirk nodded in their direction and offered a small wave and smiled.

Kirk started toward the market, feeling the chill of the slight breeze blowing around him. He shivered as he struggled toward the center of the market, the occasional passerby giving him a sideways glare.

 _I need to find a doctor._ Kirk thought to himself as he stumbled through the center of the market. _God, as much as I hate to admit it, I could really use a good ole Bones check-up right now._ He sighed as he scanned the small shops for anything that resembled a medical center.

Something prodded at his back and he spun around quickly, adrenaline flooding into his veins. He turn and was met with a rifle-toting alien creature that towered over him. Its slender body was covered in a thick leather armor from head to toe. It began spouting something off in a language that Kirk didn't understand, so Kirk put up his hands defensively.

"Listen, I have no idea what you're saying." Kirk said warily, a small smile present on his face to try and ease the tension. "But I need a doctor if-" Kirk started, but was interrupted when the alien jabbed him in the chest with the butt of his rifle. Kirk doubled back in pain, the sharp fiery pains shooting up his back once again. "Hey!" Kirk coughed, trying to catch his breath again. The alien shoved him to the ground and Kirk cried out in pain. The bystanders in the market watched carefully, not daring to interfere.

The alien pinned Kirk's arms behind his back and tied a rope tightly around his wrists. Kirk cried out again, tears forming in his eyes from the shock of being moved. The alien ripped the blankets from Kirk's back and the cold seeped into his bones.

"Listen, I just need to get to a doctor," Kirk shut his eyes tightly as the alien pulled him to his feet, holding a firm hand on his shoulder. " _Please._ " He pleaded, but the alien merely shoved him along the path, the bystanders moving quickly out of the way. "I need to get back to my ship," Kirk said sternly, but the alien offered no response. "Come on!" Kirk yelled as a gag was forced into his mouth and a sack pulled over his head. Kirk was thrown unceremoniously into a carrier ship, once again engulfed in a world of darkness.

/

 _Thanks for sticking around and reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism that comes to mind. Feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks again! Stay tuned for much more to come!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	4. Chapter 4

"Nyota Uhura?" Uhura spun around in her chair at the sound of her name to face the director of the communications standing over her work station. "I heard that you were back, but I wasn't expecting to see you back here so soon," Uhura smiled and stood up to greet him.

"You know I can't stay away from work." She sighed, trying to keep the smile plastered on her face.

"I was so sorry to hear about Captain Kirk," He sighed, trying to sound as sympathetic as possible. "I know that you two were close."

"Yeah, you could say that." Uhura nervously pushed a stray hair from her face.

"So what brings you back to the communications division so soon?" He asked quickly, trying to change the tone of the conversation.

"Oh, I was just doing some transmission pick-ups. Your secretary said that you were a little behind, and I figured that you wouldn't mind. I thought that I could put my time to good use, since we'll be on shore leave for a little while still." Uhura babbled nervously.

"It's good to have you back, Nyota. Keep up the good work, huh?" He patted her on the shoulder gently and walked back out of the bustling communications office.

Uhura sighed heavily and took her seat back at her station. She switched on the frequencies again, picking through different messages, letting herself get lost in the rhythmic beeps and clicks of the buttons under her fingers as she flipped through the messages. She couldn't admit to herself the reason that she was really there so soon after Kirk's death. She couldn't bear to accept the fact that Kirk was dead. She knew that if he wasn't, he would be trying to send a transmission to her. She couldn't give up on him.

The sharp whistle of her communicator drew her from her trance-like state. "Uhura here." She flipped open the communicator and set it on the desk beside her as she continued through the channels.

"Nyota," Spock's voice crackled over the communicator. Uhura's ears perked up as she detected an edge of panic in his voice. "It's Ensign Chekov." Spock breathed and Nyota jumped up from her station and grabbed her communicator off her desk.

"Where are you?" She asked, speed-walking out of the office, attracting a few confused glances from the other communications officers.

"In Mr. Scott's room." Spock said, the panic becoming stronger in his voice.

"I'm on my way." Uhura burst through the door.

"Please hurry." Spock pleaded, sounding like a small child.

Uhura left in such a hurry that she didn't notice the small blinking light on her workstation. A curious young communication officer peeked over his shoulder and the flashing light caught his eye. He looked around cautiously, as if waiting for Uhura to return and catch him staring at her station, but his curiosity soon consumed him and he settled into her chair and pushed the earpiece into his ear.

"This is Captain Kirk. That's right, it's me." The young officer's jaw dropped at the sound of Kirk's recorded message. "Listen, I'm in a junker on Orthegiol, and I would really appreciate if you could maybe pick me up? Yeah, that'd be great. I'm going to be looking around the surrounding systems for a better ship, but I'm expecting you to call on this frequency when you get this message. You'd better get this message, Uhura. Kirk out."

The young officer hurriedly ejected the recording and tripped over himself trying to get out the door. His head was reeling as he stumbled into the Admiral's office. The stunned secretary watched him warily as he panted, trying to speak.

"I've got to talk to the Admiral!" The officer huffed, holding up the recording. "It's urgent!"

"I'm sure that it is..." The secretary tried to hide her disgust as she glanced down at her screen. "I'm sorry, but the Admiral is busy. If you would like to schedule an appointment-"

"Alice, what's all the commotion out here?" Admiral Glick peeked his balding head out of the door of his office. The communication officer's eyes lit up when he saw the Admiral, who only offered a puzzled look in response.

"Admiral! I have an urgent finding that I need to share with you! It's about Captain Kirk!" The officer huffed and the Admiral pushed open his office door.

"Please, do come in. Alice, cancel my lunch with Odette." The Admiral ushered the young man inside and shut the door tightly behind him.

"Will do, sir." Alice sighed, typing away on her screen.

"What's going on, ..." The Admiral trailed off, realizing that he didn't know the young man's name.

"Ensign Brever." The communications officer finished. "I was looking through the incoming transmissions, and I found this, sir." The officer presented the Admiral with the tape, setting it down gently on his desk. The Admiral looked puzzled as he hesitantly pushed the recording into the slot on his desk. Kirk's message played over the office speakers and the Admiral's eyes went wide.

"Ensign," The Admiral paused, taken aback by the news. "You will be commended for your discovery with the highest honors." He said, standing up and smoothing out his uniform.

"Thank you, sir." Brever beamed. "I only want to get Captain Kirk back home."

"Ensign, did you tell anyone else about this?" The Admiral asked and the Ensign raised an eyebrow.

"No, sir. Why do you ask?" Brever asked out of curiosity.

"I would hate for false rumors to spread." The Admiral smiled and the Ensign nodded in understanding. "Thank you for all that you've done, Ensign."

"The honor is all mine." Brever smiled and turned to walk back out the door.

The Admiral's hand curled around his phaser as he pulled it up and fired a clean shot to the back of the Ensign's skull. Brever collapsed to the floor in a lifeless heap and the Admiral sighed and pressed a button on his desk.

"Alice, call in a clean up crew. One for communications, and one for my office." The Admiral said disgustedly as he dropped the recording into his office shredder. "Call that good for nothing junker pilot and tell her that she won't be receiving her payment."

/

"Hey," A soft voice spoke to Kirk as he sat on the rough bottom of the carrier ship, his hands tied above his head. "Hey!" The voice called again.

"Where are we?" Kirk asked through chattering teething, his body shaking with the cold.

"I'm not sure, somewhere outside of the plaza, I think." The voice whispered and Kirk turned his head to see a young humanoid, her solid green eyes watching him kindly. Her bright purple skin was cloaked with mismatched rags and her wispy yellow hair was tucked behind her rounded ears. Her hands were bound the same as his. Kirk looked around some more and saw at least a dozen different aliens of all sorts of species tied up the same as him.

"God," Kirk squeezed his eyes shut as the ship hit a bump, jostling him and sending a jolt of pain shooting up his back.

"You don't look so good." The girl whispered, craning her neck to see Kirk's horribly burned back.

"Thanks." Kirk scoffed as he tugged on the restraints on his wrists.

"How did that happen to you?" She asked, her eyes probing and inquisitive.

"Volcanic eruption." Kirk said and the girl waited patiently for more information. "It's a long story." He shook his head as he pulled sharply on the restraints, but didn't get them to budge.

"I was picked up from the reservation outside of Iojestia." The girl said, watching as Kirk snarled at the ropes around his wrists. "My name's Malia." She said softly and Kirk huffed as he got nowhere with the restraints.

"Jim." He said curtly as he struggled to his feet.

"Jim," She repeated to herself, obviously in awe. Kirk cracked a smile at the way her voice twisted his name slightly. It gave him a painful reminder of how Chekov and Scotty said his name. "Where are you from?"

"Earth." Kirk responded as he attempted to rip the restraints from his wrists by throwing himself forward, but got nowhere again.

"Earth?" She asked, turning her head slightly. "You're a long way from home, Jim."

"Yeah, believe me, I know." He chuckled, sitting back down on the ground in defeat.

"How did you get out here?" She asked.

"It's a long story." Kirk repeated as he sighed at the burns from the rope around his wrists.

The beaten down ship came to a slow halt and the side doors slid open with an ear-splitting screech. The slender alien that had kidnapped Kirk appeared in the light of the doorway, gun in hand. Kirk swallowed hard as he watched the alien's head turn slowly, scanning the passengers. Next to him, a short, plump alien appeared, his rubbery green face and small black eyes holding a very serious expression. He lifted his rubbery arm and pointed directly at Kirk. The two aliens babbled something to one another, and the slender alien approached Kirk, slicing the top of the rope holding Kirk to the ship. The alien grabbed Kirk's arm and lifted him up from the ground, forcing him towards the doorway. Kirk struggled to break free, but the alien swept his feet out from under him, sending Kirk tumbling out of the ship.

Kirk spat dirt out of his mouth as he struggled to stand back up on his feet. The small alien looked at him and nodded his head slightly. Kirk turned around and watched Malia get thrown out of the ship right after him. The slender alien pulled her up from the ground and grabbed Kirk's arm, forcing them both forward. Kirk tried to throw him off, but the alien latched on tightly. The slender alien escorted them to a large stone mansion, the neatly kept yard gated in by a barbed wire topped steel fence. Kirk sighed heavily as they were pushed through the entrance, the small alien taking the lead and pointing to the door. The slender alien grunted and Kirk was forced in through the main doors and into the ornate mansion.

Kirk looked around in awe at everything surrounding him. There were animal carcass prizes decorating the walls alongside decorative tapestries filled with every alien language imaginable. Statues of all sorts of origins stood on display, not a speck of dust to be found. Light poured in through the ceiling's skylight, making the plush red carpet pop even more.

 _Did I just get pimped out?_ Kirk thought to himself as he admired his surroundings.

The alien pushed Kirk forward again, throwing him and Malia through a doorway and slamming the door shut behind them. Kirk heard the distinct click of a lock behind them as he struggled to stand up again. His senses were on high alert as he scanned the room around him. There were at least five other ragged aliens watching the two newcomers with curiosity.

Kirk sighed to himself. _Yup. I definitely just got pimped out._

/

 _Yay another chapter for you! I hope you've enjoyed the story this far, but stick around, because there's more to come! I love getting feedback, whether constructive criticism or positive comments. Thank you again for reading!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	5. Chapter 5

"Pavel?" Uhura breathed as the doors to Scotty's room slid open. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Pavel Chekov on the couch, huddled in a shivering mass under a large fluffy blanket. His eyes darted quickly from side to side and a cold sweat ran down his pale forehead. His eyes looked more tired than Uhura had ever seen. McCoy hovered over him, assuming his typical mother hen stance. Spock rushed to Uhura's side, wrapping his arm around her gently. She could feel his sorrow seeping into her thoughts.

"What's going on?" Uhura asked breathlessly, watching Scotty pace back and forth behind the couch.

"He's having severe panic attack-like symptoms." McCoy sighed, running the tricorder over the poor Russian boy. "Problem is, I don't know what he's going on about 'cause he keeps blabbering in Russian."

"Chekov," Uhura cooed, taking a slight step towards Chekov. His tired eyes locked on her, his entire body skittering with the surprise of the motion. "What's wrong?" She asked him, assuming his native Russian tongue. Chekov's eyes flashed with light as he heard the words come out of her mouth, but the haze returned as quickly as it had appeared. He continued to mumble nonsense under his breath, shaking and watching everything around him anxiously. "Mishka, I can't help you if you don't calm down." She approached his slowly still, but he refused to make eye contact.

"Dammit," McCoy cursed quietly. "I was hoping you would be able to calm him down. It's too dangerous to let him ride it out himself, his vitals are spiking too much."

"Wha' do we do for the poor lad now?" Scotty asked anxiously.

"I can administer a mild sedative for now. It should knock him out for a little bit." McCoy sighed and pulled a hypo from his medkit and pushed it slowly into Chekov's neck. He jumped at the touch, but his neck soon fell limp and McCoy laid him down on the couch softly.

"Why did you not do that sooner, doctor?" Spock asked and McCoy shot him an angry glare.

"Are you trying to tell me that I don't know how to do my damned job?" McCoy asked, his voice going rough and his eyes filling with rage.

"I was merely suggesting-" Spock started, but was interrupted by McCoy suddenly standing up to face him.

"Because if there's anyone in this room that doesn't know how to do their job, it's _you._ " McCoy took a step towards Spock, pointing an accusatory finger at the Vulcan and balling his other hand into a fist. "Ensure the Captain's safety? That's your job description, isn't it?!" McCoy yelled.

"Doctor, I-" Spock started again, but McCoy rushed towards him. Scotty jumped in and grabbed McCoy's arm, pulling him back. Uhura stepped in front of Spock defensively.

"That's _enough_!" Uhura shouted, stopping McCoy dead in his tracks. "Doctor McCoy, you need to get your temper under control." She scolded and McCoy shrank. "You're not the only one here dealing with Kirk's death." She reminded him harshly and his muscles relaxed. Scotty dropped his hold and McCoy turned his head away and knelt down beside Chekov again.

"You didn't know him like I did." McCoy whispered shamefully.

"Leonard, it's _okay_ to be upset." Uhura cooed. "But it's not okay to take it out on any of us, do you understand?" McCoy nodded his head slightly in response. "Good. Now, why didn't you give Chekov the sedative earlier?"

"Well," McCoy sighed as he waved the tricorder over Chekov once again. "Because I was worried that something like this would happen." He threw the tricorder to the side and picked up Chekov by the arm, pulling him off the couch and onto his limp legs. "We've got to get him to the hospital." He said urgently and Spock immediately rushed to Chekov's other side and grabbed his other arm.

"Why?" Uhura asked frantically as she opened the doors for them.

"The sedative I gave him, it reacted with something in his system." McCoy explained as they pulled Chekov through the halls, Scotty hot on their heels and Uhura in the lead. "I couldn't pick it up on my scanner before because of the crazy brain activity from the attack, but now I know something's there for sure."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Uhura asked, almost afraid to find out the answer.

"Someone's poisoned Chekov."

/

"A volcanic eruption?" Malia asked as she gently pressed a damp cloth onto Kirk's back. Kirk gritted his teeth and shut his eyes closed at the chill of the water.

"Yeah," He said gruffly as she pressed the cloth down again.

"I'm sorry Jim, but the last things that you want is for this to get infected." She apologized as she wrung out the cloth over the small dish of water. "How did you get caught up in an eruption?"

"I..." Kirk started, but had to suck in a deep breath as Malia pressed the cloth against his back again, trying to keep himself from shivering. "I was trying to smooth things over with the local militia," He explained, his eyes still shut tightly.

"You're a diplomat?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah," He chuckled painfully.

"If you're a diplomat, that must mean that there's someone that you can contact!" One of the other slaves piped up. "You can set us free!"

"I wish it were that easy." Kirk sighed as Malia helped him sit up and wrapped strips of cloth around his back. "They think I'm dead."

"But you can still contact them, right?" Malia asked hopefully.

"If any of you know that way to the communication center in this place, I'd be happy to hear about it." Kirk grunted as Malia tenderly began to pile a few stray cloaks around Kirk's shivering body. The entire cell sat in silence. "Wonderful." Kirk sighed in defeat.

"It's not that we don't know where it is," One of the slaves finally said. "It's just that it's impossible to get to."

"Of course it is." Kirk pulled the rags around him tightly.

"It is locked behind the master's chamber door." One of the slaves admitted quietly.

"Alright, well how do we get back there?" Kirk asked, feeling the warmth slowly return to his body.

"It is impossible," The slave continued, his small yellow eyes looking at the floor in distress. "The master doesn't allow any of the slaves behind his chamber doors."

"Alright," Kirk said after a brief moment of thought. "What about an extra ship?"

"There is a hangar on the other side of the property." The yellow eyed alien said. "But all transports are locked in, and there is a guard that patrols the area."

"Well, our chances of even contacting my crew aren't solid, so I think that that's our best option." Kirk sighed, a plan already beginning to formulate in his head.

"What about the guard? And the lock? And the cameras?" Malia asked.

"We're all going to have to work together on this, if we're going to pull this off." Kirk said, donning his 'captain voice' as his crew called it. "Does anyone have any technical knowledge, or any combat training?" _Except for fencing._ Kirk had to stifle a smile as he thought about his first mission with Sulu.

"We are all simple farmers," The yellow eyed alien said with despair. "Most of them don't even speak English."

"Can you be our translator?" Kirk asked and the yellow eyed alien nodded hesitantly. "What's your name?"

"Aavarak." The alien responded promptly.

"Well, Aavarak, I'm going to have to teach you and your farmers some new tricks if we're going to get out of here." Kirk stood up shakily, looking out on all of his fellow slaves. _Hang on, guys._ Kirk thought as he began to see the faces of his crew in the group of slaves. _I'm coming home._

/

 _Thanks again for reading! As always, feedback is much appreciated. Stay tuned for more to come!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	6. Chapter 6

The crew of the Enterprise sat in the waiting room of the hospital, each of them worn down by fatigue and grief combined, with a dose of anxious anticipation sprinkled into the mix. Each of the crew looked as though they had aged ten years as they sat in the quiet waiting room, none of them even having the heart to speak and comfort one another.

Spock sat in stunned silence, his eyes glued to the door and Uhura's arm wrapped around his. She sat in solemnity, quiet tears running down her cheeks. Scotty paced the floor again, biting his nails and trying to keep himself from thinking about the unthinkable. Sulu rested his head in his hands, thinking about small, sweet Chekov.

Doctor McCoy pushed through the waiting room doors quietly and Spock stood up quickly, startling Uhura and alerting the rest of the crew. They all took a stand, all of their expressions pleading for McCoy to give them good news.

"He's going to be fine," McCoy said gruffly and a collective sigh washed over the room. "He's awake now, but he needs to rest, so make it quick." McCoy motioned for them to follow him through the door and to Chekov's room. They all remained silent, not knowing what to say to one another.

"Pavel," Uhura breathed, the words nearly taken out of her brain as she saw a frail and sickly Chekov sitting on the biobed. "Thank God you're okay." She brushed a tear from her cheek as she rushed to his bedside and wrapped him in an awkward hug. Chekov put his weak arms around her, a smile forming on his lips.

"It is wery good to see you too, Uhura." Chekov smiled and the rest of the crew made their way slowly towards him.

"Ensign, would you please tell us what has happened?" Spock asked and McCoy shot him an angry glare. Chekov's eyes darted to the floor and he fell silent.

"Can I see you in the hallway for a minute, Spock?" McCoy asked, his voice strained as he tried to hold back his anger.

"Of course, Doctor." Spock replied hesitantly and walked out of the room quietly, McCoy following close behind.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" McCoy snapped as the door shut behind him. "Can't you see that the kid's sick as a dog?!"

"It was not my intention to upset the Ensign," Spock nodded politely as he swallowed his emotions.

"Yeah, well maybe think twice before asking about a traumatic experience _when he just woke up._ " McCoy hissed at Spock, who shrunk slightly. "Listen Spock, I know that we aren't on the best terms, but I want you to understand that I want to find out who did this just as much as you do. But you can't go and send my patient back into an anxiety attack by bringing up terrible memories." McCoy finished and Spock nodded slightly in understanding, fighting back the tears welling in his eyes.

"I am sorry, Doctor." Spock said politely, taking in a deep breath.

"Good." McCoy said sternly. He pushed back through the doors, leaving Spock to his own thoughts. Spock took in another shaky breath, the feeling of control slowly leaving him.

 _Promise me._ Spock heard Kirk say again and a tear slipped from his eye as he shut them sightly. _I will, Captain._ Spock thought as he felt his sadness harden into rage. _I will._

/

Kirk squinted his eyes as the sun beat down on him, sweat beading on his dirty forehead. He struck the shovel in the ground again, pulling up more soil and dumping it beside him. He bent down painfully, grabbing the flowering bush from beside him and dropping it into the fresh hole.

He wiped his brow and glance at the hangar to his right, the large steel walls blocking any ships inside from sight. He sighed heavily as he looked around the area quickly and saw the guard pacing back and forth in front of the door with a large keypad on the front. He spotted five cameras glimmering in the sun around the area. He muttered curses under his breath as he scooped up some soil and pushed it around the base of the plant, patting it down solidly.

 _Stupid manual labor._ He thought as he stood back up, shooting pains running up his back. He shook off the pain and pushed the shovel under the mound of dirt he had created, scooping it up and throwing it into his wheelbarrow. _Stupid bounty hunter selling me into slavery._ He pushed the wheelbarrow back into the shed and dumped the dirt in his wheelbarrow into the mound on the ground. Tipping the wheelbarrow strained his back again, sending the pains through his body again. He winced as he pushed the last of it out and threw the wheelbarrow into the shed. _Stupid volcanic eruption._ He huffed as he dusted off the threadbare shirt on his chest.

He scanned the area again and saw his fellow slaves working tirelessly in the master's garden. He only saw a few guards making their rounds, enormous laser rifles in hand. He cursed under his breath as he tried to figure out a way to take them down.

A dinner bell rang, tearing him from his thoughts. The other slaves immediately rushed inside, leaving Kirk in their dust. He sighed heavily and made his way up the marble stairs and into the mansion. He followed the other slaves into the back kitchen, which was more of a root cellar than anything else. Aavarak stood in front of a large bubbling pot of pungent stew, ladling out its contacts to the other hungry slaves holding their bowls out to him. Kirk joined the line, snatching a crudely made wooden bowl and spoon from the table and waiting patiently for his serving of the vile dinner.

"Good to see you, Jim." Aavarak nodded to Kirk as he heaped a large serving of the chunky green stew into Kirk's dish. "You need to get your strength back." Aavarak smiled to him and Kirk did his best to offer up a smile in return, despite the horrid smell that the stew emitted.

Kirk searched the room full of small battered tables to find a place to sit. All of the slaves sat huddled in their spots, scooping the stew into their hungry mouths hurriedly. Kirk's eyes caught on Malia, sitting with a space beside her. He set down his bowl and painfully sat down beside her, trying to mask the pain on his face.

"You doing okay?" She asked immediately and Kirk's brain flashed back to McCoy's routine check-ups. A smile crept on his lips as the memories came and went.

"Yeah, I'm good." He lied and Malia narrowed her eyes at him. "Anyway, security's a little tighter than I thought." He sighed as he dipped his spoon into the chunky green slop. "We're going to have to do things carefully."

"Do you really think that we can pull this off?" She asked quietly.

"We've gotta." He shrugged and forced the stew into his mouth, almost gagging as it touched his tongue.

"So," Aavarak sat down beside Kirk, setting his stew down and smiling. "What do you think of the stew?" He asked and Kirk forced himself to swallow the awful food and smile.

"It's great." He smiled nervously, feeling the stew creeping back up his throat.

"Well, eat up. We need you in tip top shape." Aavarak gestured to Kirk's bowl and Kirk reluctantly swallowed another spoonful. "So you were outside today?"

"Yeah," Kirk said, attempting to stop himself from choking. "I was just telling Malia that the security's tighter than I wanted."

"I was afraid of that." Aavarak sighed, then swallowed down the stew like it was nothing. Kirk couldn't help the slightly disgusted expression on his face.

"So, what do we have in terms of crew?" Kirk asked, then immediately regretted his choice of words.

"Like I said before, everyone here came from a farmer's background. You don't have much to work with." Aavarak explained and Kirk's lips twisted into a frown.

"Maybe, maybe not." He said, a new idea dawning on him. "I think I know what to do." A smile crept across his face. "I'm going to need everyone's attention."

/

 _Sorry for the short chapter *again* , but I wanted to publish this before I leave for a couple of days. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you stick around for more updates. Don't forget that feedback is appreciated!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	7. Chapter 7

"Do not attempt to lie to me." Spock said sternly, furrowing his eyebrows. "I have other methods of learning what you know, and it will not be pleasant for you, I promise." Spock seethed, watching the fear in the lunch lady's eyes grow.

"I already told you, I have no idea-" She started, but Spock took a determined step towards her and she jumped and hit the cafeteria wall behind her. "Alright, alright." She breathed, putting up her hands in defense. "Someone came up to me last night and gave me a hundred federation credits to serve that meal to the curly-haired boy and keep my mouth shut." She breathed and Spock came closer still. "Please!" She begged, lowering her head and waiting for a strike.

"What did they look like?" Spock asked firmly.

"I-I don't know! I swear, I told you everything!" The woman protested, but Spock drew nearer and placed a hand on her forehead. The woman's thoughts swirled, her own fear being swiftly replaced by pure rage and desperation. She could feel something picking through her memories, prying at her brain and searching for something. She felt the pull as the memory of the night before was plucked form her memories and she saw it flash through her brain again.

A strange young man dressed in a dark hoodie the shielded his face from view stood before her, his hands shoved into his pockets. She carelessly scooped a helping of that night's slop onto a tray and offered it up to him over the counter.

"A little late night dinner?" She asked as she realized that he must be the last customer of the night, since the rest of the cafeteria had been vacated.

"I need you to do something for me." He said gruffly, sliding a small packet over the counter. She looked at it carefully, but only saw some sort of alien scrawl written across the package. "A young man should come in here tomorrow night. Curly hair. Thick Russian accent. I need you to sprinkle this on his food."

"What is it?" She asked hesitantly, not daring to touch the package.

"It's a flavoring of sorts." The man replied and fished into his pocket, pulling out a hundred Federation credits and dropping them onto the counter next to the packet. "I need you to keep your mouth shut about this, do you understand?"

The woman nodded carefully and the man turned and took his leave.

The woman felt herself being pulled from her own thoughts suddenly, and found herself staring at the tall Vulcan man again.

"I will see to it that you are punished for this deed." Spock snarled and he turned quickly on his heel.

 _What possible motive could that hooded man have for poisoning Chekov?_ Spock thought as he made his way through the hallways. _Perhaps it was an attempt to draw out the Enterprise_ crew... He continued on, lost in thought. He didn't even notice the large Starfleet security guard stepping ouut in front of him. He ran directly into him and stumbled back, almost losing his balance.

"I apologize, sir. I did not see you there." Spock muttered as he took a step to the side to walk around the towering guard. The guard followed his movement, blocking his path once again.

"Admiral Glick wishes to speak with you." The guard's deep voice echoed through the halls and Spock shrunk slightly.

"Of course." He recomposed himself and said. The guard motioned to his right and Spock took a few cautious steps in that direction. "May I ask why the Admiral wants to see me?" Spock asked, but was met with only silence from the guard.

The guard led him down the quiet hallways and to the Admiral's office. Thoughts raced through Spock's head as the guard opened the door to the office and motioned for Spock to enter. Spock quietly took in a deep breath as he stepped inside, the Admiral sitting at his chair and tapping his fingers on the desk.

"Admiral Glick," Spock said stiffly, trying to maintain his composure. He carefully clasped his hands behind his back.

"Commander Spock," The Admiral said, the expression on his face resembling an exasperated parent. "Or should I say, Captain Spock." Spock stiffened at the sound of his new title, memories of Kirk rushing back to him. "Please have a seat." The Admiral motioned to the chair in front of his desk and Spock hesitantly took a seat.

"May I inquire why you wished to meet with me?" Spock said, folding his hands in his lap.

"I was hoping that you would." The Admiral sighed, leaning forward in his chair to rest his arms on the neatly organized desk. "Spock, you've been causing a lot of trouble around here." Spock's blood ran cold as all of his muscles tightened.

"I would like to report that-" Spock started, but the Admiral put up a hand, stopping him.

"I don't care, Spock. I understand that you and your crew are going through a rough patch." The Admiral sighed as he sat back in his chair. "I've pushed every issue that you've created under the rug. But, really, Spock? Assaulting civilians?" The Admiral asked and Spock's gaze fell to his feet.

"I was-"

"Spock." The Admiral interrupted again. "I'm dispatching the Enterprise to the planet Plauto IV tomorrow morning." Spock's eyebrow shot up in confusion as he looked into the Admiral's eyes again. "Gather your crew."

"Admiral?" Spock whispered in disbelief.

"I know, it's unorthodox. But, I think that you and your crew need to get back up into space if you're ever going to heal." The Admiral pressed a button on his desk and the door behind him swung open. "Besides, I've got to keep you from causing trouble down here." The Admiral smiled and Spock stood up slowly, the Admiral's command barely registering in his mind.

"Thank you, sir." Spock barely managed to say as he nodded to the Admiral.

"Don't mention it." The Admiral smiled warmly at Spock. "Now go back to exploring strange new worlds."

/

"Come on guys, keep it up." Kirk cheered on the rest of the slaves as they struck the ground with their spades repeatedly, scooping out the dirt and throwing it behind them. Kirk stood up and wiped his brow as he examined their progress so far. The tunnel under the back kitchen was starting to take shape.

"Jim?" Malia asked from the tunnel's entrance, concern showing through on her face.

"Yeah?" Kirk called back, turning around and striking the dirt again.

"Do you need a break?" She asked and Kirk drove the shovel into the dirt again.

"I'm good." He lied as he felt the pain of his back that he'd been ignoring creep back up on him.

"Just five minutes." Malia pleaded and Kirk sighed as he scooped out another pile of dirt. "Please?"

"Alright," Kirk caved as he pushed the dirt and sweat off his forehead once again. He handed the shovel off to another slave and he crawled out of the tunnel. Malia greeted him at the entrance with a cup of water and a bowl of slop.

"You don't look so good," Malia said as she led Kirk to a bench and pressed the water into his hand.

"I'm fine." He said as he sat down on the bench. He grimaced as pain shot up his back as he took his seat, but he quickly replaced the painful look with a reassuring smile. Malia rolled her eyes and put the bowl of stew in front of him. "The tunnel's coming along," Kirk admired their work as he took a swig of the slightly dirt water in the cup.

"Do you think it'll get done tonight?" Malia asked as she watched more and more dirt pile out of the tunnel.

"If we keep going like we are, we've got a shot. What time is it anyway?" Kirk asked as he swallowed down a spoonful of the stew.

"Three in the morning." Malia responded, watching to make sure that Kirk would finish his stew.

"No one's come to the door yet?" Kirk asked.

"The guards at the door haven't reported anything yet." Malia shrugged as she pushed the stew closer to Kirk.

"Good." Kirk sighed and forced himself to stand up again, the pain running down his body again.

"Can I take a look at your burns again?" Malia asked as she stood up with Kirk.

"I'm heading back to work." He smiled at her and patted her on the back as he made his way back to the tunnel. Malia let out a frustrated sigh as Kirk disappeared back into the tunnel.

One of the slaves smiled at Kirk as they handed him a shovel. Kirk smiled back as accepted the shovel and drove it into the wall again. Dirt tumbled out of the wall and another slave hurriedly reached under Kirk and scooped the loose dirt out. Kirk looked at him in confusion, but the slave only offered up a smile. Kirk shrugged and drove the shovel hard into the wall again, pain flaring up in his back. He pushed it down deep as he hit at the soil again, slowly but surely making progress.

"Jim," Aavarak called from just behind Kirk. "They want to know how we'll know when we get to the hangar."

"It's a good fifty meters from where we started," Kirk responded, not letting up pace with the digging. "I think we'll get done in another three hours, tops."

"Right before wake-up call." Aavarak noted and Kirk nodded.

"They won't even know we're gone." Kirk smiled as his shovel hit the dirt again.

The slaves continued to dig through the night, each strike of the shovel draining Kirk's energy a little bit at a time. Aavarak watched him carefully, just waiting for the young captain to drop from fatigue and pain. Kirk trekked on, every time he wanted to quit, he looked around and saw the hopeful faces of the slaves and remembering his own crew. _I can't back down now._ He thought, narrowing his eyes as he continued to dig the tunnel.

Kirk lifted his shovel once again, using the last of his energy to drive it into the ceiling of the tunnel. _Spock. Bones. Scotty. Sulu. Uhura. Chekov._ Kirk repeated the names of his crew in his head over and over, trying to muster the strength to continue. The pain in his back was nearly overwhelming - each small movement sending fiery pains up his body. _They need you._ He thought hard as he yanked the shovel back and dirt came pouring down, nearly burying him. He pushed himself out from under the mound, the other slaves helping to dig him out.

"We made it." He breathed in relief as he saw sunken in tiles above him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he and the other laves began to tear down the tiles, the dark interior of the hangar coming into view. Kirk pulled himself out of the tunnel and looked around the hangar, trying to spot a ship that he knew how to fly. Dozens of small carriers littered the floor of the hangar, all from different systems. _This guy really is a collector._ Kirk thought as he stood up shakily.

A guard yelled at Kirk from behind, and Kirk swiveled around quickly, swinging a punch at the armed alien. He swung wide and the guard swung back with the butt of his gun, hitting Kirk square in the stomach. Kirk doubled over, his breath leaving his body. Kirk dodged the blows as he struggled to catch his breath and throw some punches of his own. He finally ran at the alien, leading with his shoulder and sending them both to the ground. The alien's head hit the ground hard and his body fell limp. Kirk struggled to roll onto his side, desperately trying to get up despite the overwhelming pain coursing through his entire body.

"Jim!" Malia cried as the other slaves scrambled to him and helped him to his feet.

"I'm fine, Malia." Kirk coughed as he tried to stabilize his breathing. "Let's just get on a ship." He wheezed as the slaves on his arms dragged him towards one of the carriers. The slaves began to pile into one of the alien vessels, the two at Kirk's arms puling him inside and laying him down on the floor.

"Let me look at you," Malia begged as Kirk waved her off and tried to stand.

"Someone's gotta pilot the ship." Kirk groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, pain running through his entire body. Malia helped him stand and supported him as he pushed through the crowd of slaves and into the cockpit. He plopped down into the pilot's seat and stared at the controls in front of him. Aavarak sat down in the copilot's seat beside him and strapped in.

A weak smile formed on Kirk's face as he adjusted the dials and flipped the control switches on the panel. "Tell them to strap in." Kirk instructed as he handed Aavarak the intercom control. Aavarak began to speak the alien language into the intercom, and he gave Kirk a thumbs up. "It's going to be a bumpy ride." Kirk sighed as he started the engines and opened he hangar door. The engines revved to life as the door slowly opened and two confused guards began waving the ship down. Kirk gripped the yoke and the ship began to move forward towards the door.

"Are you sure that you know what you're doing?" Aavarak asked nervously as the sides of the ship clanged on the other vessels.

"Not a clue." Kirk laughed as the ship took off inside the hangar, the top of the ship narrowly avoiding the ceiling as they left the hangar.

 _I'm coming home to you, Enterprise._ Kirk thought as he guided the ship into the sky, the sunrise painting it shades of vibrant orange and pale purple. He flipped the switch and the ship proceeded into warp factor six. _I'm coming home._

/

 _I'm sorry for the wait! I'm also sorry that this chapter isn't as good as I had hoped that it would be... but I'm hoping that you'll bear with me through the rough patches, because I promise that things are going to get better! I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for more!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	8. Chapter 8

"You can't be serious." McCoy growled at Spock, who simply stood before him, hands clasped neatly behind his back.

"I ensure you that I am not attempting to deceive you." Spock added plain and simple, rebuilding the walls around his emotions.

"This is total bullshit." McCoy grumbled as crossed his arms firmly across his chest.

"Leonard, I know that it seems unfair, but maybe it _is_ best that we go back to work." Uhura said reassuringly.

"Did everyone else in this room seem to forget that Pavel Chekov was _poisoned_?" McCoy asked in disbelief.

"We've turned over the investigation to the authorities." Sulu added hesitantly.

"It is best that we do not attempt to take the law into our own hands." Spock said firmly, the walls in his mind beginning to crack.

"Oh sure, I believe that coming from _you._ " McCoy scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Mister Spock is right, doctor." Scotty said quietly, not daring to meet McCoy's hard gaze. "We'll take Ensign Chekov on board with us. The lad'll be much safer there."

"Spock, none of this seems a little wrong to you?" McCoy asked, drawing closer to the Vulcan and pointing an accusatory finger to his chest. Spock swallowed hard as he fought to keep his emotions back.

"Doctor, the Admiral has agreed to erase the charges against me. If I was to disobey him, the Enterprise would be rendered captain-less." Spock said in a desperate attempt to reason with McCoy and himself. He couldn't fight the awful feeling growing in his gut.

"I'm not going." McCoy said firmly, crossing his arms across his chest again.

" _What?_ " Uhura asked near silently.

"You heard me." McCoy responded stiffly. "I'm not going up in that tin can of death again. I'm not going to follow you on your path to self-destruction, Spock."

"Because I am the one in danger of self destruction?" Spock shot back and McCoy lunged at him. Scotty was barely able to leap into action and hold McCoy back as Uhura pushed Spock out of the way. Sulu joined in, holding back McCoy's other side.

" _You're_ the one that killed Jim!" McCoy shouted, struggling to break free of Scotty and Sulu's grip. "You're off your rocker! You _assaulted_ a _civilian,_ and now you're just blindly following orders!" McCoy yelled. "I won't be a part of this." McCoy's voice went cold as he broke free from Scotty and Sulu and crossed his arms across his chest again. "Not anymore. I'm done."

"Leonard, think about what you're doing." Uhura pleaded gently, but was only met with McCoy's stone cold stare.

"I'm not changing my mind, Nyota. Get out of my quarters." He growled and the rest of the crew stepped back, each of them slightly intimidated. "I said, _get out._ " McCoy repeated and the crew made their way to the door, each of their heads hanging a little lower. Scotty gave McCoy a solemn glance as he walked through the door. Sulu simply offered a sad smile. Uhura ran back and hugged his stiff body before walking out.

"Live long and prosper, doctor." Spock gave McCoy the Vulcan goodbye before he shut the door softly behind him.

McCoy felt a tear leaking from his eye as the door closed and his family was gone. _You couldn't follow them,_ He tried to reassure himself as he reached for the bottle of bourbon on the table. _Not where they're headed._ He sighed as he poured a generous amount of the alcohol into his glass and raised it to the sky. _I'm sorry, Jimmy._ McCoy felt more tears running down his cheeks as he lifted the glass to his lips and took a swig of the liquid. _I don't know what to do without you._

/

"There." Kirk sighed in relief as the Starfleet outpost on Yugoli came into view.

"Remind me again why we're stopping at a _Starfleet_ base?" Aavarak asked, shifting uncomfortably in the copilot's seat.

"Let's just say, we have an agreement..." Kirk shrugged, not wanting to reveal his true relation to Starfleet. He figured that most slaves on a planet that should've been protected under Starfleet wouldn't be too happy to figure out that there was an officer in their midst.

"What'll we do when we get there?" Malia asked, tugging at her restraints nervously.

"I'll get a ride back to my ship, and maybe a nice nap." Kirk smiled at the thought. "And Starfleet'll bring you back to your families and help you start over."

"How do you know for sure?" Malia asked.

"Because I've seen them do it before." Kirk smiled as he brought them closer to the outpost. "This is charlie foxtrot ninety five," Kirk spoke into the radio after he adjusted the dials. "Requesting landing."

"This is Starfleet Yugoli. What is your name, Captain?" The speakers crackled to life. Kirk paused for a moment before pressing the button again.

"Kirk. Captain Jim Kirk." He said and recognition flashed across Aavarak's face.

"You're..." Aavarak began, but was so awestruck that he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Yeah." Kirk winked at him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the old Starfleet insignia from his shirt. _No use in keeping them in the dark anymore._ He thought to himself as he showed Aavarak the insignia. Aavarak gaped at the patch.

"Captain Jim Kirk is dead." The voice over the speaker insisted.

"Funny story," Kirk shrugged. "I'm actually not."

"You will be." The voice said menacingly and the transmission cut out. Kirk's senses jumped into high alert, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"What did they mean by that?" Malia asked quickly, but Kirk's mind barely registered the question as he raced to turn on the shields.

"I _knew_ something was fishy." He muttered and cursed under his breath as he saw a photon torpedo fast approaching. The torpedo bashed into the hull of the ship, making Kirk's head crack against the back of his seat. "I _really_ didn't need this today." He sighed as he turned the ship around, narrowly dodging another torpedo blast. He pushed the lever to warp factor six and the ship sped back into space.

"Jim, where are we going now?" Malia asked, her breathing short and panicky.

"Hopefully to get some help in figuring out just what the hell is going on here." He gritted his teeth as the pain from being thrown against the seat began to set in.

"And where is that?" Aavarak breathed.

"Earth." Kirk clenched his teeth as he fought back against the pain in his body.

"That's one of Starfleet's most heavily guarded bases!" Malia protested.

"But it's also where my crew should be." Kirk punched in the coordinates and the location blinked to life on their map. "And if anyone's _not_ out to get me, it's them." _At least, I hope._ He thought as he began to steer the ship towards the blinking light. _I'm coming home, for better or for worse._

/

 _Thanks for reading! I hope that you've enjoyed the story this far. Thank you all for the positive feedback, and I hope that you keep it up :). It really keeps me motivated. Thank you again for reading, and stay tuned for more updates!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	9. Chapter 9

"All systems are go," Sulu paused for a brief second before continuing his sentence. "Captain."

Spock stood in front of the captain's chair on the U.S.S. Enterprise, looking out over his fellow crewmen. They all looked worse for wear, the slight pink tint in their eyes and the bags beneath them growing darker. Spock hesitantly sat in the captain's chair, the rest of the crew watching him carefully.

"Warp factor five, Mr. Sulu." Spock commanded politely as he rested his tense arms on the armrests.

"Aye, Captain." Sulu responded as he put the ship into gear, the word _captain_ leaving a strange taste in his mouth.

Spock gently pressed the button beside his hand, opening up the ship-wide channel. "Attention all personale, this is Captain Spock speaking." Even Spock shivered at the title. "I wanted to personally thank you all for returning to service on the Enterprise. We are currently in route to small system named Plauto IV to stabilize relations and commence peace talks between the warring factions." Spock paused, not knowing what else to say. Uhura turned her head to look at him from her station, her big brown eyes cheering him on. "I would like to thank you again for joining me." Spock said, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks as he expressed the sentiment. Uhura smiled at him reassuringly as she turned back to her station.

 _I promise._ The words resonated in Spock's head once again as he looked around at the crew. _I promise._

/

"Jim, are we sure that this is the _best_ possible idea?" Malia asked as Kirk's shivering body navigated the ship closer and closer to the blue and green orb called Earth.

"It's the only chance I've got," Kirk sighed as he watched Earth grow before his eyes, his trembling hands clutching tightly on the controls.

"What about the rest of us?" Aavarak asked nervously.

"Unless you want to go back to your home planets and get sold back into slavery, you need Starfleet as much as I do." Kirk assured them as he scanned his viewing screen for any patrol ships. "And trust me, when I figure out what's going on, I'll make sure that you'll get the protection you need."

"And how do you plan on protecting us when we try to get into the most _heavily guarded_ outposts in the galaxy?" Malia scoffed but Kirk merely shrugged.

"I'll be honest, I'm making things up as I go." He admitted as a security patrol came into view. The communicator on the ship began blinking and beeping rapidly, but Kirk smacked Aavarak's hand away from pressing the button.

"Jim, what-" Aavarak started, but was interrupted by Kirk maxing out the controls and sending them flying straight past security and into Earth's atmosphere.

"You're going to get us all killed!" Malia yelled as the ship began to catch fire. Kirk gritted his teeth and held the controls down.

"Trust me!" He shouted back, the ground fast approaching. He suddenly yanked up on the yoke and the ship screeched to a halt, the small cargo ship being unable to take that many directions. He then slowly lowered it to the ground, the ship touching down softly on in a grassy field.

Malia and Aavarak stared at the viewing screen in shock as Kirk shut off the engines and unbuckled himself.

"How?" Malia breathed, her heart beating out of her chest. "How did you know it would do that?"

"Lucky guess." Kirk shrugged as he stood up shakily. "I've been on my fair share of cargo ships, and none of them knew how to handle directions, so most manufacturers installed an emergency stop." Kirk began to hit the buttons on the console, immersing the ship into an undetectable stealth mode, masking all signals it gave out.

"What do you mean, _most_?" Aavarak asked fearfully.

"We made it, didn't we?" Kirk shrugged and opened the door to the outside world. The crisp Californian leaves swirled around him, flooding his nose with their familiar scent. The crisp fall air chilled him to the bone as he stepped out.

"What are we going to do?" Malia asked and Kirk poked his head back in the ship.

"You guys just wait here. I'll be back when I smooth things over." Kirk smiled weakly, shivering as the wind chilled him.

"Be careful." Malia pleaded and he nodded slightly and gave her his characteristic smirk.

"I'll be back." He winked at them as he ducked back out into the field.

 _Alright,_ He thought to himself as he looked around at the grass swaying in the wind, a couple of scattered trees in the distance. _Now to find my crew._

/

McCoy nursed another glass of whiskey as he watched out the window at the quiet courtyard below. The silence was deafening. Ever since he met Kirk, he had forgotten about the solemnity of silence. As he looked out at the empty sidewalks below, the streetlight flickering and threatening to give out at any second, he realized how much he hated the quiet. He wanted someone to come back into his life and take him for a crazy ride. He wanted someone that would repeatedly drag him out of his comfort zone, kicking and screaming. He missed Kirk. And now, he realized, he had torn himself away from the only other friends that he had.

A panicked knock at his door tore him from his thoughts. He jumped, nearly dropping the glass onto the floor. "Yeah, what do you want?" He asked gruffly, rubbing his tired eyes with his hand. There was no response from the other side except for more knocking, each tap becoming weaker than the last. McCoy rolled his eyes as he set the nearly empty glass onto the table and made his way to the door. He cracked the door open slightly, leaving the chain attached. "I said, what do you want?" He asked, peeking through the crack in the door. His heart dropped as he saw a dirty, broken Kirk leaning heavily against the door frame and shivering.

"Hey, Bones." Kirk smirked at McCoy who was frozen in shock.

"Jim..." He breathed as he stood frozen on his feet. He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes, but Kirk didn't disappear. "Damned whiskey." He mumbled as he closed the door again.

"Wait, Bones!" Kirk slammed his fist against the closed door. "It's me! It's Jim!" He called as he struck the door again. He heard the chain lock slide open and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Bones, thank God." He breathed as the door creaked open. "You don't know how happy I am to-"

"You listen to me." McCoy interrupted sharply, his eyes hardened with rage as he pointed an accusatory finger at Kirk's chest. "I don't know who you are, or what you want, but you are _not_ Jim Kirk." Kirk rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Bones, I don't have _time_ for this." He sighed as he took a step towards the door. "I need your help."

"You aren't-"

" _Bones."_ Kirk repeated, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder. "It's me." McCoy softened at the touch, his brain finally piecing together the realism of the event.

"Jim." McCoy breathed, pulling Kirk into a tight embrace. Kirk cringed at the hug, but didn't hesitate to hug him back tightly. "How in the hell?" McCoy asked, releasing from the hug, but keeping his hands firmly on Kirk's shoulders. "You were _dead._ " He continued to look at Kirk in disbelief, but his gaze suddenly hardened. "You let us believe that you were dead all this time?!" He snarled as he whacked Kirk gently on the side of the head.

"Yeah, it's kind of a long story," Kirk sighed as he felt the fatigue settling in once again. His legs began to shake underneath him. "But we don't have time. Someone's out to get me. Oh, and there's a cab driver downstairs that needs a hellava tip," He smiled weakly as McCoy ushered him inside. "And," He started, but his vision began to blur. "And..." He trailed off as his knees buckled and he began to fall to the floor. McCoy quickly caught him by the shoulder, his reflexes still finely tuned from all the times he had to take care of a drunk or injured Kirk.

"Jim!" McCoy cried out as he watched Kirk's eyes flutter shut. "You idiot!" He muttered as he laid Kirk down on the couch gently. He carefully turned Kirk onto his side, pulling up his shirt to examine his wounds. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the severe burns coating Kirk's back. He muttered curses under his breath as he pulled Kirk's shirt off his shivering body. "You're impossible." He snatched his medkit from the tabletop and pulled out his tricorder. As he set it up to scan him, it finally hit him. Kirk was alive. Kirk moaned from his seat on the couch and McCoy's smile quickly faded back to a stern frown. _But he won't be for much longer if I don't help him._

/

 _Yay, another chapter for ~you~. I hope you enjoyed it! Stick around for more drama and action to follow!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	10. Chapter 10

Spock shifted nervously in the Captain's chair, trying not to let his unrest be shown to all the crew. He couldn't fight the feeling in the back of his mind that something was very wrong with this situation. His mind wandered to Chekov. Who had poisoned the ensign? He didn't have the slightest clue. This train of thought lead him back to McCoy. He felt incredibly guilty, leaving things the way there were between them. _Maybe I should call and check up on him..._

"Captain, we're nearing the planet." Sulu interrupted Spock from his thoughts.

"Very good," Spock cleared his throat and stood up from the chair. "Please prepare the landing team."

"Aye, Captain." Sulu responded and began to type away on his consul. Spock waltzed over to the elevator and Uhura followed him, hot on his heels.

"How are you holding up?" She asked as soon as the doors slid shut.

"I am doing fine, Nyota." Spock clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the door.

"Are you worried about Leonard?" She asked quietly and Spock had to keep himself from moving anxiously. "We can check up on him, you know."

"That would be the proper course of action." Spock responded curtly and Uhura barely suppressed a smile.

"I'll head back up to the bridge and call." She kissed Spock on the cheek. "Be careful down there." She linked her arm around his.

"Of course, Nyota." Spock barely finished his sentence before the entire ship shook violently and the lights flickered out. Uhura and Spock tumbled to the ground, the elevator coming to an abrupt halt. The emergency lights blinked to life and Spock helped Uhura to stand up again. "Nyota, are you quite alright?"

"I'm fine, Spock." Uhura rubbed her head. "What just happened?"

"I intend to find out." Spock pried open the elevator doors with his Vulcan strength, revealing another deck with panicked crewmen.

"Bridge to Captain Spock," Sulu's voice came over the speakers. "Bridge to Captain Spock," Sulu repeated and Spock pressed on the calling pad mounted on the wall.

"Captain Spock, here." Spock spoke up over the din of the panicking crewmen.

"Captain, we're stuck in some sort of tractor beam. We're being drained of our energy." Sulu called back and Spock's heart began to race.

 _It was a trap._

/

"Jim?" Kirk moaned as he heard McCoy's distant voice calling to him. "Jim?" McCoy repeated and Kirk struggled to open his eyes. His entire body was more sore than it had been in a very long time. His back burned with a new intensity, and his head throbbed. "Jim, thank God." McCoy breathed in relief as he pulled a hypo from his medkit. "I'm going to give you this sedative so you can-"

"No." Kirk groaned, cutting McCoy off.

"Jim, you need to rest." McCoy insisted as Kirk started to move his aching body.

"There's no time," Kirk muttered as he attempted to shrug off the fluffy blanket comforting him.

"Stay down, dammit." McCoy pushed Kirk back down gently, pulling the blanket back over his shoulders. "Your burns got infected." He explained, bringing the hypo to Kirk's neck. Kirk squirmed until his neck was covered by the blanket and huffed.

"Where's Spock?" Kirk asked, furrowing his brow as McCoy frowned at him.

"I've tried contacting the ship, but they're not picking up." McCoy sighed as he placed the hypo back on the table and picked up the tricorder instead.

"You mean they're not here?" Kirk asked, his heart beginning to race.

"Jim, calm down. I'm sure everything's fine." McCoy said soothingly, watching Kirk's vitals spike on the tricorder.

"Starfleet wants my head on a platter, Bones." Kirk pushed the blankets off his body and McCoy attempted to pull them back up.

"What are you talking about?" McCoy wrestled with the blanket as Kirk tried to roll off the couch.

"They tried to kill me." Kirk threw his arm out onto the table and tried to push himself up. McCoy froze as the words left Kirk's mouth. "I stopped by one of the outposts, trying to get help, but they shot at my ship."

"My God." McCoy breathed. _Chekov._ He thought and his heart skipped a beat.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true." Kirk pushed himself up to a seated position, adjusting the black fabric of the clean undershirt that McCoy put on him.

"No," McCoy shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell is going on?"

"I was hoping that you could tell me." Kirk rubbed his head in agony.

"Jim, someone poisoned Pavel Chekov." McCoy whispered and Kirk's blood ran cold.

" _What_?" He asked, his muscles tightening in rage.

"Spock was trying to figure out who, but Admiral Glick sent the Enterprise out on a mission before he could." McCoy stood up with Kirk, whose legs were threatening to give out from underneath him.

"It's a suicide mission." Kirk snarled as he started for the door, but his legs gave out and he fell into McCoy's waiting arms.

"Jim, you can't even stand." McCoy pulled Kirk's arm over his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around his waist.

"We've gotta go get them." Kirk insisted, taking small steps towards the door. "They're walking straight into a trap."

"How on Earth are we going to get to them in time?" McCoy asked, huffing under Kirk's weight as they headed for the door.

"We're not," Kirk groaned as he pushed open the door.

"Then what in the hell are we going to do?" McCoy asked, trying to pull Kirk back inside.

"We're going to have a little chat with Admiral Glick." Kirk straightened himself up as he pushed forward, stumbling with every step as McCoy pulled him backwards.

"That's suicide!" McCoy hissed. "If he's the one out to get you, why the hell would you go in there?"

"Because it might be the only way to save them." Kirk said firmly, stepping forward again. "And I have to try."

"Jim, just listen for two seconds!" McCoy protested as they continued to muddle down the hallway.

"Bones, we don't have time!" Kirk groaned as pain shot up his back with every step he took. McCoy instantly recognized the increasing pain on his face and pulled the tricorder from his belt.

"Jim, you need to sit back down." McCoy insisted. "You can't take him like this." Kirk stopped suddenly, nearly knocking McCoy over.

"You're right." Jim breathed, staring at the empty hallway in front of him. "Bones," He announced, standing up a little straighter. "I've got a plan."

"God, I hate it when you say that." McCoy mumbled.

/

 _Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed the story this far! Stay tuned for more to come, and remember to leave any constructive criticism or positive feedback. Thanks again!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	11. Chapter 11

"Mr. Sulu, what is our status?" Spock burst through the door to the bridge, Uhura following closely behind.

"We're losing power fast, Captain." Sulu's fingers moved rapidly over his consul.

Spock took a deep breath and regained his composure, sitting neatly down in the captain's chair and pressing a button on the panel. "Mr. Scott," Spock spoke clearly into the comm.

"Aye, Capin'," Scotty huffed through the speaker.

"What is our status?" Spock asked again, secretly hoping for a better answer.

"We're losin' power, an' fast!" Scotty yelled back.

"Do we have enough power to warp ourselves out of here?" Spock asked.

"Nay, I wish! At this rate, our life support systems'll be offline in abou' two or so hours!" Scotty said and a cold chill ran down Spock's spine.

"Spock, I can't get through to anyone." Uhura said over her shoulder from her station, her fingers wrapped around her head piece.

"Continue trying." Spock urged her as he turned back to the viewing screen. His mind raced, trying to come up with every possible explanation for what was happening to them. _Perhaps Starfleet set us up?_ He thought, then shook his head. _Improbable. Yet, all the clues_ do _align..._

"Spock," Uhura interrupted him from his thoughts. "We're being hailed."

"Put it on screen." Spock instructed, shifting to sit up straight in the chair.

"Captain Spock," A voice called menacingly from the speakers before the screen finally focused in on the image of the man. The entire bridge sat in terrified silence.

"Admiral Glick." Spock barely managed to say as all the pieces came together in his mind. _Pushing the assault under the rug and promising to pursue the investigation himself. Leading us straight into this trap. Glick has been trying to eliminate my crew._

"Sorry things had to be this way," Glick offered a small smile. "With Ensign Chekov and all."

"Why?" Uhura asked, rage coursing through her blood. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm afraid that you wouldn't understand me if I told you," Glick sighed heavily, reclining in his seat in his office. "This is much bigger than any of you. Any of us, really."

"You intend to drain the life from our ship." Spock stood up and folded his hands behind his back, pushing the anger down into his chest and keeping it there. "What do you have to gain from this action?"

"Like I said, I don't think that even _you_ would understand, Captain Spock." The Admiral shrugged.

"I will attempt to comprehend." Spock said sharply and the rest of the crew on the bridge had to try and stifle a smile, despite the circumstances. They all knew what he had _really_ said to the Admiral - it was the Vulcan equivalent of 'Try me, bitch.'

"You have two hours on the clock, Captain Spock. Is this _really_ how you want to spend your final moments?" Glick retorted and Spock stiffened, his anger boiling now.

"Why not obliterate us as soon as we appeared?" Spock said, his voice dripping with sass. "Or simply wiped us out on Earth?"

"It's part of the plan, Captain." Glick smiled widely and everyone on the bridge had to restrain themselves from lashing out. "I wish that I had time to explain it to you, but-" Glick was interrupted by a sharp beeping noise and he rolled his eyes.

"Sir, it's Doctor McCoy here to see you." Alice's voice came over Glick's comm.

"Send him in." Glick smiled cruelly and turned his attention back to Spock. "Enjoy your final hours. Doctor McCoy won't have that long." He ended the transmission and the entire bridge crew sat in stunned silence, alarms beginning to blare from all stations. _CRITICAL FAILURE._

/

"Of all of your stupid and half-assed plans, I've got to say that this one is by far the _stupidest_ and most half-assed." McCoy mumbled into his earpiece as he continued to walk swiftly down the hallway, his heart beating out of his chest.

"Thanks, Bones. That means a lot to me." Kirk's familiar voice came through the earpiece and McCoy had to stop himself from smiling. _God, I missed this idiot._ "Tell me when you're in position. Ooh! And remember the code word!"

"Dammit, I'm a doctor, not a secret agent." McCoy muttered, turning the corner quickly.

"Bones," Kirk pleaded and McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Fine." McCoy suppressed a smile as he slowed down, his target in sight. "This better work."

"What could possibly go wrong?" Kirk said and McCoy straightened his back and brushed off his uniform as he approached the Admiral's office.

"Can I help you?" Alice the secretary asked as soon as McCoy cracked the door open.

"Uh, yeah." McCoy cleared his throat and stepped through the door, his muscles tightening. _This is a stupid-ass plan._ "I need to speak to Admiral Glick."

"Unfortunately, the Admiral does have a schedule to keep." Alice sighed and looked back down at her screen. "Would you like to make an appointment for sometime next month?" Alice asked, already disinterested with the conversation.

"Actually, I need to speak to him right now." McCoy gulped, trying to keep up his front. "I'm Leonard McCoy, and it's regarding the attempt on Pavel Chekov's life." Alice's eyes dropped to her screen and she pressed a small button in the corner.

"Doctor McCoy is here to see you." Alice spoke into the comm.

"Send him in." Glick's voice came back.

"Admiral Glick will see you now." Alice motioned to the door as the lock clicked and it swung open slightly.

"Thank you." McCoy nodded, sighing quietly in relief. _Still a stupid plan._ He sucked in another deep breath as he stepped through the door and into Admiral Glick's office. Glick was sitting in his chair, his hands folded neatly on the desk.

"Doctor McCoy," The Admiral offered a soft smile. "I'm surprised to see you here and not on the Enterprise with the rest of your crew." Glick motioned to the chair in front of his desk and McCoy hesitantly sat down in it.

"Yeah, we had a falling out." McCoy sighed heavily as he folded his arms across his chest and discreetly wrapped his fingers around his phaser.

"So, why did you want to speak to me?" Glick said, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Well, sir," McCoy took a deep breath. "I was Chekov's attending physician, so I ran some tests on the poison in his system." He continued and Admiral's eyebrow raised with curiosity. "And I found out something interesting."

"Which is?" Glick asked, tapping his fingers on his desk.

"Well, I linked the poison back to Starfleet, sir." McCoy said quickly. "I think it was a kind of _sabotage_." McCoy said and the Admiral pulled the phaser from his belt and aimed it at McCoy's head.

"Doctor," The Admiral laughed as he stood up, the phaser still trained on McCoy. McCoy put up his hands defensively. "You should be suffocating with your crew, but instead, I get to kill you myself." Suddenly, a phaser blast ripped through the air, whizzing by the Admiral's head. The Admiral's head snapped in the direction the blast came from and was met face to face with Captain James Tiberius Kirk in his full glory, phaser trained on the Admiral's head.

"Or maybe not." Kirk shrugged. "Now, you're going to let my crew go."

/

 _Thanks for reading! Sorry this chapter wasn't super exciting, but there's plenty more action to come! I promise I'll update again soon. Feedback is much appreciated :) Stick around for more story to come!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	12. Chapter 12

"Mr. Scott, please revert all remaining power to the life support systems." Spock commanded through the comm, feeling a shiver run down his spine and the cold beginning to seep into his bones.

"Aye, Capin'." Scotty responded and Spock could hear the fatigue in his voice.

"What do we do now?" Sulu asked quietly from his station. "Wait to die slowly?"

Spock paused for a moment, the thought almost entering his brain. He quickly pushed it back down and shook his head. "No," He responded firmly. "We will keep the life support systems operational for as long as possible." He continued, trying to come up with the best response.

"What hope do we have?" Another bridge crew member asked solemnly.

"Well," Uhura piped up as Spock opened his mouth to answer. He closed his mouth in relief as she continued to speak. "Doctor McCoy's meeting with the Admiral right now. There's a chance that he'll pull through and turn off this tractor beam."

Spock shifted slightly and laid his hand on top of Uhura's. _The likelihood of that occurring is next to zero._ Spock thought as his skin brushed against hers.

 _I know that, but we can't let_ them _know that._ Spock heard Uhura's voice in his head.

"When he does, we'll be ready." Uhura said with conviction as she gave Spock's hand a squeeze and returned to her station. "I'm going to keep monitoring the frequencies, and you're all going to continue doing your jobs."

The entire crew seemed to shrug and turn back to their stations at Uhura's suggestion. Spock raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the phenomenon.

 _/_

"Captain Kirk," Admiral Glick stiffened as he saw Kirk's phaser trained on him. "How on Earth did you get in here?"

"I'll admit, your cabinet _is_ a little cramped, but I did manage to make enough space for myself after I threw out all your stuff earlier. And it's _amazingly_ soundproof. Good thing I could hear you and McCoy through my earpiece, or I would have no idea that you were trying to _suffocate my crew._ Kirk shrugged and gave his signature smirk. The Admiral raised his eyebrows and nodded, slightly impressed by Kirk's tenacity. "Now," Kirk's face hardened. "About my crew."

"I'm afraid I just can't do that, Captain." Glick sighed, keeping his phaser focused on McCoy. "Everything that's happening is so much bigger than you and your crew." The Admiral slowly moved his finger closer to the trigger of his phaser.

"Don't move." Kirk said sharply and Glick stopped quickly. "You're going to tell me what's going on here, unless you want one of these blasts to the face."

"Captain, you can hardly even stand!" Glick laughed as he watched Kirk struggled to maintain his balance. "Your crew doesn't have the time for me to explain it all to you, anyway." Glick smirked. "I am, of course, assuming that you still want to _save_ them."

"Start chirping, little bird." Kirk snapped. "You're going to put the phaser down slowly and release my crew. I know you can do it from your desk screen, can't you?" Kirk asked, looking down at all the rapidly blinking buttons. The Admiral laughed nervously and began to lower his weapon.

"Do you really want to know why I'm doing this?" Glick asked.

"What gave you that impression, us repeatedly asking you, or maybe the fact that we haven't killed you yet?" McCoy snapped back after he took a deep breath in relief once the phaser was no longer pointed at him.

"Captain, you and your crew represent everything that Starfleet believes in." The Admiral laughed, and suddenly his human face began to morph into a hideous blue-scaled beast. Kirk's mouth twisted into a disgusted grimace at the sight, but he kept his fingers wrapped around the phaser. "My species, a _superior_ species, wants to study what's going to happen when the flagship and most well-known crew is eliminated by someone in Starfleet itself."

"You call yourselves a superior species, but you're still looking to kill innocent people." McCoy growled.

"Now, Doctor. I don't expect you to understand. The study of this organization will undoubtedly save countless others that are faced with similar scenarios in the future. Don't you understand that your sacrifice will be worth it in the end?" The beast asked, his voice full of confidence.

"I don't know who replaced your Cheerios with bullshit this morning, but you're seriously delusional." Kirk scoffed, watching carefully as the beast continued to lower the phaser onto the table. "People have to figure things out for themselves, dumbass. That's a part of life."

"But Captain, don't you see? We can prevent mistakes from ever happening again! Imagine the lives that will be saved!" The beast cried out, pleading for Kirk to understand.

"Mistakes have to happen." Kirk swallowed hard. "That's the only way we get progress."

"I agree with you, Captain." The beast sighed and Kirk's muscles began to tense up, an uneasy feeling rising in his gut. "Your mistake of not killing me right away will result in my progress." The Admiral suddenly raised his phaser and fired it into the desk screen, sending sparks shooting everywhere. McCoy ducked and covered his face with his arms as Kirk fired a shot at the Admiral's head, sending him crashing limply to the floor.

"Dammit." Kirk cursed as he looked down at the carnage. The entire screen had erupted into flames, splintered glass covering the table. "Bones, try and call the Enterprise." He ordered as he tried desperately to reboot the system.

"Nothing, Jim." McCoy sighed in defeat as he continued to fumble with the dials on his communicator.

"Dammit, dammit." Kirk slammed his hand on the table in frustration. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, his brain going into overdrive. He pushed down the pain consuming his body as he thought hard, trying to come up with any solution. "Alright, I've got a plan. Come on." Kirk instructed as he stumbled around the desk and made his way to the door. McCoy caught him in his arms as Kirk nearly toppled to the floor.

"Jim, what the hell are we going to do now?" McCoy asked as he helped Kirk through the door and past the startled secretary.

"We've got to get up there and destroy whatever's holding the ship." Kirk huffed as pain seared through his body.

"And how do you plan on doing that, exactly?" McCoy asked, pulling Kirk through the hallway as alarms began to blare. "There's no way we're going to make it to them in time."

"Not without a little Scotsman's ingenuity." Kirk smirked as they ducked into the elevator. "Scotty's been developing a ship with my input." Kirk explained as McCoy propped him up against the wall of the elevator. "Faster than anything else out there. It's parked in the base right outside of Earth."

"That's great and all, Jim, but how do you plan on getting to that ship, exactly?" McCoy panted as he whipped out his tricorder and began to scan Kirk.

"I've got a ship." Kirk smiled through the pain. "It's a piece of junk, but it's going to get us where we need to go."

"I don't like the sound of that." McCoy grumbled.

"Bones, you don't like the sound of anything." Kirk laughed weakly as McCoy shifted him to get a better look at his back.

"Damn straight, I don't." McCoy snapped, frowning at his beeping tricorder. "Jim, this isn't good." He said, trying not to let the fear show on his face.

"Well, you can tell me all about it _later._ " Kirk pushed himself off the wall as the doors to the elevator slid open. "But right now, we've got a crew to save."

/

 _Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave any constructive criticism or positive feedback for me. Stay tuned for more to come!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	13. Chapter 13

"Spock," Uhura said weakly, the color draining from her cheeks and her lips beginning to take on a blue tint. Spock shivered despite the blankets piled around him and the warmth from Uhura snuggled up beside him.

"I am sorry, Nyota." Spock sighed heavily, his teeth chattering as he struggled to pull the blankets tighter around his body. "I should have seen that this was a trap before."

"You couldn't have known," Uhura cooed, pulling him closer to her and nuzzling her head against his neck. "This isn't your fault." She soothed.

"I have failed all of you." Spock responded quietly, looking out at the rest of the bridge crew, each of them struggling to maintain their body heat. _I am sorry, Captain. I have failed you most of all._ Spock thought solemnly and closed his eyes.

/

"Jim, what the hell?" McCoy asked, huffing as he struggled to keep Kirk upright. Kirk stumbled forward, pushing through the tall grass. "Where are we going?"

"The ship!" Kirk said gleefully, continuing to push through the pain and foliage.

"God, you must be delusional." McCoy sighed, pulling the tricorder from his belt. "Dammit, I _knew_ I shouldn't have let you drag me all the way out here." McCoy grumbled as he awkwardly juggled the tricorder with his free hand, the other wrapped tightly around McCoy's waist.

Kirk simply rolled his eyes in response as he continued pressing forward, feeling the energy drain from his body with every step. _My crew's up there. They need me._ He thought and narrowed his eyes, continuing to drive forward.

"There." Kirk panted, raising a weak arm and pointing at the clearing, the very top of the junk ship glinting as the sun hit the metal.

"Well I'll be damned." McCoy breathed as he slipped the tricorder back in his belt.

"Come on, we don't have any time to lose." Kirk gritted his teeth and pushed ahead, McCoy struggling to keep up with him as they trudged ahead.

McCoy reached out his arm and pushed the tall yellow grass out of the way, revealing the wide clearing and ship, the former slaves scattered around the area, curiously inspecting their new surroundings.

"Jim?" Malia asked, running up to meet him.

"Malia." Jim smiled as she rushed to his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pushing him farther upright. "My crew's in trouble. I've got to get up to my ship."

"Did you figure out what's going on?" She asked, grunting with the effort of supporting his weight. Aavarak stood up quickly from his seat on the grass and took her place by Kirk's side.

"I wish." Kirk groaned, still forcing his way to the ship. "All I know is that my crew needs my help _right now._ " Kirk paused as he looked out at all the confused former slaves, looking to him for guidance. "Oh," He motioned to McCoy with his head. "This is Bones. He's my CMO and resident grouch." McCoy nodded awkwardly at Malia and Aavarak. "Bones, this is Malia, Aavarak, and my other fellow slaves that I helped liberate."

"Wait, _what_?" McCoy asked in disbelief, suddenly realizing how little he knew about what Kirk had been through during his time away.

"I'll explain later." Kirk gave a half-hearted laugh as he stepped up onto the ship. "Now let's go get that ship."

"Is it even operational?" McCoy asked, struggling to help lower Kirk into the pilot's seat of the ship.

"We're gonna find out." Kirk shrugged as he fumbled with the seat belt. McCoy swept in and strapped it around him. "I was gonna do that." Kirk grumbled as McCoy sat down next him and strapped in.

"What do you mean, ' _we're gonna find out'_?" McCoy sighed, half wishing that he didn't already know the answer to that question. "And don't be such a child."

"Well, you see," Kirk started, starting up the engines. "It hasn't exactly been _tested_ yet." McCoy let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose like an exhausted parent.

"Why did I know that was coming?" He groaned.

"Don't worry, Bones. I'm almost _positive_ that Scotty fixed the incineration problem after getting a good look at Spock Prime's ship." Kirk shrugged, completing the rest of his pre-flight check.

"Jesus Christ." McCoy muttered.

"Alright." Kirk turned his head to face Malia and Aavarak, both waiting patiently by his side for instruction. "You two need to stay here."

"We're coming with you." Malia said firmly, crossing her arms across her chest. "You can't walk, let alone _save_ anyone."

"Oh, you underestimate this idiot." McCoy added, making sure that his seat belt was on extra tight. "He always finds a way to hurt himself some more. Trust me, this is _nothing_."

"Besides," Kirk smiled at her. "They need you here to guide them. We'll be back, but until them, they're going to need someone to run the show. You two." He continued, his fingers tapping anxiously on the yoke.

Malia paused for a brief second, mulling over her options. "Fine." She finally responded. "At least take Aavarak with you."

"No can do," Kirk sighed. "You need a translator." Malia sighed in defeat, because she knew that there was nothing that she could say that could convince him to take her.

"Be careful." She sighed.

"Careful's my middle name." Kirk winked at her and a small smile crept across her lips.

"Yeah, right after _NOT."_ McCoy scoffed.

"We'll be back." Kirk promised and Malia and Aavarak disappeared from the cockpit and Kirk locked the doors behind them. "Alright, Bones. You remember your flying lessons, right?"

"I remember my _hatred_ of flying things." McCoy sighed, tightening his seat belt once again.

"Yeah, close enough." Kirk sighed and pulled up on the yoke, the ship gradually making its ascent. "Not gonna lie, Bones. It's going to be a bumpy ride." Kirk warned his friend seconds before he punched the thrusters, launching them into the air. The entire ship shook with the jolt, panels clanking together and the engines roaring with the effort.

"Dammit, Jim!" McCoy's eyes snapped shut as he felt the contents of his stomach rise up into his throat.

"Told ya!" Kirk laughed as the ship shook violently, finally pushing itself past the police barricade again and into space.

"What's the plan now?" McCoy asked, finally settling his stomach as the ship rocked around him.

"Yeah, about that..." A tight smile formed on Kirk's lips. "I was planning on winging it."

"Go freaking figure." McCoy sighed, still not getting up the courage to open up his eyes. "Tell me when we're close."

"Oh, well we're close." Kirk laughed nervously and McCoy cracked open an eye to see the star base coming up fast.

"Jim wHAT THE FUCK?" McCoy yelled as he saw Kirk push forward on the yoke, sending the little junk ship hurdling faster through space and barreling on a collision course with the massive star base.

"Part of the plan I just made up!" Kirk yelled over the increasingly loud roar of the engines.

"CHRIST!" McCoy managed to say between long strings of curse words as the ship shook violently.

"Yeah, don't look behind us either!" Kirk laughed nervously. "The police are starting to catch up!" McCoy's eyes snapped shut again.

Kirk pressed forward, watching one of the large bay doors opening slowly for a cargo ship coming in slowly. "Hang on to something!" Kirk gritted his teeth as he pushed the yoke forwards as far as it could go, the engines beginning to sputter as he pushed the ship to its limits. It screamed through space, shaking left and right as he attempted to guide it to the bay door. The base rushed up on the ship, each second bringing them closer and closer to the thick metal walls. Kirk gave one last push to the right on the yoke and the ship's hull scraped on the bottom of the landing pad, sending sparks flying in every direction and taking off several panels from the bottom of the ship. Kirk yanked up on the yoke, once again locking up the engines and bringing the ship to a screeching halt as it skittered against the floor of the base.

"That was fun." Kirk breathed as the ship finally slowed to a stop inches away from another large cargo ship. McCoy struggled to catch his breath as Kirk fumbled with his seat belt, releasing himself from the seat.

"Jim." McCoy finally managed between heavy breaths. "What. The. Fuck." Kirk smiled at his friend as he pushed himself out of the seat and released McCoy's seat belt.

"Come on, Bones. We've got a crew to save." Kirk laughed as McCoy stared vacantly ahead, his life flashing before his eyes still. Kirk stumbled as he began to step forward, snapping McCoy out of his daze. McCoy leaped up from his seat and caught Kirk before he could hit the ground, once again positioning the younger man's arm on his shoulder and sliding his arm around his waist. "Thanks." Kirk laughed weakly, but was only met with a scowl from McCoy.

Kirk and McCoy grabbed the maintenance space helmets and put them on, then pushed through the doors of the ship and out into the hangar floor of the star base. The pristine white-walled bay was spacious enough to house more than a hundred cargo ships.

"Where's the ship?" McCoy asked quietly, looking around the hangar in awe.

"Fiftieth floor. Sector E17." Kirk huffed as he trudged forward again. "We're in sector E1." He sighed as they walked between the vacant cargo ships, each of them dwarfing the two men.

"Wonderful." McCoy grumbled, his words dripping with sarcasm.

The two men trudged along, Kirk's energy slowly sapping as they weaved through the cargo ships and approached the sealed off sector E17.

"Is this it?" McCoy asked in disbelief, looking up in awe at the completely closed off room, complete with a pass-code lock and retinal scanner.

"Yeah, this's the place." Kirk pried himself away from McCoy and braced himself on the door. He mustered up the energy to enter in the number pass-code that he'd committed to memory and pressed his eye closer to the scanner and the door clicked open.

"Nice." McCoy breathed as he fluidly slipped back into the supporting stance for Kirk. Kirk swung the door open and the two men entered the large room. McCoy's jaw dropped when he saw the small glimmering ship, its pristine white paint job reflecting the bright lights of the hangar.

"She's a beauty, isn't she, Bones?" Kirk marveled at the narrow-nosed and compact ship that he hadn't seen in so long.

"How on Earth did you and Scotty get funding to do this?" McCoy asked, snapping back into focus.

"Call it a grant from a certain generous Admiral Pike." Kirk chuckled, the memory of Pike stinging him a little.

McCoy helped Kirk into the small, gleaming ship, strapping him into the pilot's seat once again and taking off their helmets. Kirk stared at the controls for a second, re-familiarizing himself with the layout.

"Watch this." Kirk pressed a button on the panel and a flask of whiskey appeared from the consul on McCoy's right. McCoy snatched it up and took a long swig. "I had Scotty install that." Kirk smiled as he started up the engine.

"What else did you have him install?" McCoy asked, hoping for a mint julep.

"Oh, you know. Nothing much." Kirk shrugged. "Just a manual override on the hangar doors." Kirk's fingers flew across the consul and the doors ahead of them slowly started to rise and reveal the glimmering stars beyond.

"God, no one should let the two of you work together on _anything_." McCoy sighed as he took another swig from the flask.

"Yeah, well at least this'll be a smoother ride." Kirk smiled. "I hope." He added quietly, launching them into space. McCoy didn't even feel the jolt as they moved at warp speed, the stars flying by them faster than he could see them. He looked over at Kirk and saw the fatigue and pain in the young captain's eyes.

"Jim, how're you feeling?" McCoy asked, instinctively reaching for his tricorder.

"I'm fine, Bones." Kirk laughed as he lied through his teeth. The pain was nearly overwhelming and he could start to feel his body shutting down on him. His vision was starting to swim and every part of him felt weak.

"Jim," McCoy pressed, pulling out the tricorder and scanning Kirk. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the results. Kirk's body was running on fumes. He was going to collapse at any moment.

"I'll sleep when we get back to the ship and save my crew." Kirk sighed as he tried to push the pain down.

"You're going to need to do more than that," McCoy scoffed, contemplating whether or not to tell Kirk the details of his condition. He didn't want to burden him with the knowledge that he could drop at any minute, but he also knew that it was the only way to get the Captain to actually visit him in sickbay when this was all over.

"Alright, I might even consider letting you give me a hypo." Kirk chuckled. "One time deal." McCoy's heart dropped. He knew that Kirk would never suggest a hypo unless he was in overwhelming pain. "For now, I'll settle for some of that whiskey." He reached for the flask, but McCoy held it just out of his reach.

"One, I'm not sharing." McCoy paused and took another long drink from the flask. "And two, I pumped you full of so many drugs when you showed up half-dead in my apartment, I'm pretty sure that alcohol would just kill you right on the spot."

"You just don't want to share." Kirk playfully grumbled.

"Damn straight." McCoy plastered a smile on his face to hide his concern for Kirk.

The small ship finally dropped out of warp speed near the Plauto IV system and both men breathed a sigh of relief when the saw the Enterprise slowly drifting around one of the planets.

"This is the place." Kirk breathed as he brought the ship closer to the Enterprise and saw the pale green glow of a tractor beam surrounding it. "Tractor beam." Kirk cursed under his breath.

"Now what?" McCoy asked, holding tightly onto the flask in his hand as he looked up at the massive ship.

"Well, there's gotta be some station around here that's putting up the beam..." Kirk thought aloud as he brought the ship closer to Plauto IV. As he brought the ship closer and closer, he could see a small outpost just outside of the planet's orbit. "Bingo." Kirk smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown as he noticed the shields on the outpost's exterior. "Damn. They've got shields."

"So? Can't we just break through them?" McCoy asked hopefully.

"This ship doesn't have the kind of firepower to punch through a shield like that." Kirk sighed, bringing the ship in closer.

"What're we going to do?" McCoy asked quietly, already fearing the answer.

"We're going to have to go in there and fight."

/

 _Yay! Extra-long chapter! Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! There's still some excitement to come, so stick around! Positive feedback and constructive criticism is always welcomed! Thank you again for reading!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	14. Chapter 14

It took all of Spock's energy to force his eyes open. His breathing, like the rest of the crew's, was slow and labored. He slowly turned his head and saw Uhura curled up beside him, her eyes closed tight and her chest rising and falling shakily, her body shaking with chills. He knew that it wouldn't be long before they were all done for. He took a deep breath and closed his eye gently, wanting the last thing that he saw to be Uhura's beautiful face.

/

"So what?" McCoy asked, gripping the consul until his knuckles turned white. "We're just going to _bust_ in there and shut it off ourselves?!"

"That's sorta the idea, yeah!" Kirk guided the speeding ship towards the small outpost, the glimmering shield still encapsulating it.

"And how the hell are we going to get past that shield?" McCoy yelled, the engines screaming getting louder and louder as the ship picked up speed.

"Remember when I drove the ship into the starbase?" Kirk asked as McCoy shut his eyes tightly, the outpost coming too close for his comfort. "Yeah I was hoping to go three for three today." Kirk chuckled as he slammed the ship into the shield, energy spurting out all around them. The ship seized as the shield's energy pulsed through its systems. Kirk stepped on the brakes and the ship lurched backward as it came crashing into the wall of the outpost. It clattered off the side and skidded to a stop inches away from the edge of the landing platform.

"James Tiberius Kirk." McCoy breathed as he continued to hold onto the consul, losing all feeling in his knuckles. "You're going to be the death of me."

"Whatever, _mom_." Kirk scoffed as he released himself from the seat and braced himself on the consul, standing up slowly. McCoy sucked in a deep breath and stood up to help Kirk into his maintenance suit once again.

"What's the plan?" McCoy asked as Kirk's finger hovered over the door's release button.

"Set to stun. Give 'em hell." Kirk shrugged as he punched the button, the white door sliding open to reveal a few confused blue beasts that resembled Admiral Glick's true form. They raised their weapons hastily when they saw Kirk take a small step forwards, but they weren't fast enough to beat Kirk's lightening fast reflexes. They all hit the ground hard with the artificial gravity before they could fire a shot at the duo.

"Damn." McCoy whistled and Kirk took a step down the stairs, losing his footing and nearly face-planting on the next stair before McCoy swooped in and caught him. "See, then you turn around and do shit like that." McCoy smiled slightly and sighed.

"Shut up." Kirk bantered playfully, his smile tainted with the pain flaring through his body.

"How many more goons do you think Glick's got here?" McCoy asked as he pushed Kirk forward, struggling to hold up his phaser to face whatever might come next.

"Too many." Kirk grumbled as the doors to the base slid open and more beasts poured out. Kirk quickly took them all down before they had time to process what was happening. Kirk took another step forward and searing pain shot through his torso. He cringed slightly and stumbled forward, nearly knocking both of them off balance.

"Jim? Do you need to sit for a minute?" McCoy asked frantically as he stopped them, starting to lower Kirk onto the ground.

"I don't have a minute, Bones." Kirk said through gritted teeth as he tried to forget the pain. "I'm alright." He managed and took another step forward. McCoy hesitantly continued forward, watching Kirk like a hawk. He had an unsettling feeling in his stomach that his friend was going to drop any minute.

They finally made it off the landing pad and slid open the doors to the base. McCoy readjusted his grip on Kirk as they stepped over stunned bodies, Kirk barely able to lift his feet high enough to clear the unconscious beasts.

"There." Kirk moaned, pointing with his phaser down a long stretch of brightly lit hallway.

"You sure?" McCoy asked, starting to pick up pace as he watched Kirk struggle to keep his eyes open.

"If it's anything like Starfleet's other bases, I'm positive." Kirk grunted as they pushed ahead.

"You know," McCoy huffed, realizing that he needed to do all that he could to keep Kirk awake and on his feet. "I wonder where these crazy bastards are from."

"Probably some outlying system," Kirk responded between labored breaths. "Somewhere too quiet for their liking."

"You think that's why they came all this way just to ruin your day?" McCoy asked, desperately trying to keep the conversation alive.

"I'd bet on it." Kirk sighed in relief as they finally came to the door at the end of the hall. McCoy pushed the button on the side and the doors slid open, revealing a dozen or so unarmed beasts huddled behind computer screens.

"Alright," Kirk sucked in a deep breath before readying his phaser and pointing it at the nearest beast. "You're going to shut off that tractor beam." He said sternly, donning his 'I'm the captain and you have to listen' face.

"Captain Kirk," One of the beasts piped up, stepping out from behind his screen. "The one you know as Admiral Glick warned us that you might come."

"Good, then you know that I'm going to get what I want." Kirk shrugged, feeling a new energy start to run through his veins.

"Quite the contrary, Captain. We've been instructed to keep you from shutting down this operation at all costs-" The beast didn't finish before Kirk fired his phaser, dropping the unconscious body onto the floor. The rest of the beasts looked down at him in terror.

"Yeah, I'm really not in the mood." Kirk shrugged, holding up his phaser to the next nearest scientist.

"Your phaser is set to stun!" One of the scientists yelled gleefully. "He cannot hurt-" The scientist was cut off by another phaser blast from Kirk's phaser, toppling the scientist to the floor.

"Anyone else wanna get their ass stunned?" Kirk asked loudly and the scientists all shook their heads rapidly. "Good. Now turn off that tractor beam."

The scientists all turned back to their screens in a hurry, their elongated fingers flying across the digital buttons. Kirk felt his reserve energy starting to run low again and he slumped farther against McCoy. McCoy pushed him back upright, not daring to say anything.

"If any of you even _think_ about botching this up on purpose, I'll turn this dial right here." Kirk pointed to the switch on his phaser. "That's right. _Kill mode._ " The scientists all returned to their work with furious speed. Kirk kept his eyes fixated on the viewing screen, waiting for the pale green of the beam to disappear.

"Finished." One of the scientists piped up as Kirk watched the green fade from around the ship. He breathed a sigh of relief and let his burning muscles relax slightly.

"Bones, try to hail the Enterprise." Kirk commanded firmly and McCoy fumbled with his belt until his fingers curled around the communicator and he flipped it open.

"McCoy to Enterprise." McCoy barked into the communicator, but was met with only static. Kirk's heart stopped. _We're too late._ "McCoy to Enterprise." McCoy breathed into the communicator a second time and the entire room held its breath, the scientists still looking down the barrel of Kirk's phaser. The silence on the other side of the line was deafening. Kirk closed his eyes in defeat. _We're too late._

"Enterprise, here." Uhura's weak voice crackled through the communicator and McCoy's breath left his body as a smile spread widely across his face. Kirk's heart started up again, his eyes snapping open at the sound of her voice.

"Is everyone alright up there?" McCoy asked frantically, nearly dropping Kirk out of excitement.

"We're okay," Uhura breathed and all of the alarms in McCoy's head went off. She was weak. It had been close.

"Listen, we're down on the outpost just a little ways from you. I need you to beam us up." McCoy said frantically, holding the communicator just out of Kirk's waving hands.

"Us?" Uhura asked, the strength beginning to return to her voice.

"Yeah, two of us! I'll explain later!" He said, closing the communicator.

"Bones!" Kirk cried out. "Why didn't you let me talk to them?!"

"It'll be better for them to see you for themselves." McCoy smiled as he tugged Kirk back into an upright position. "Besides, I would have a helluva time trying to explain this over communicator."

"Right," Kirk breathed. "I forgot I was dead." He smiled as he felt the familiar fuzzy feeling of the transporter scrambling his atoms.

"McCoy!" Scotty's thick accent greeted McCoy as soon as he re-materialized on the Enterprise's transporter pad. The Scotsman was leaning heavily on the consul, his face pale and his breathing heavy. He froze when his eyes met Kirk's. " _Captain?_ " He asked in disbelief, still frozen to the spot.

"It's a long story," Kirk grimaced as he tried to take a step forward. McCoy gingerly lowered him to the ground and sat him up against the wall. Scotty snapped out of his daze and rushed to help McCoy, but Kirk put up a hand to stop him. "Scotty, I need you to transport all living beings from the outpost directly to the brig." He breathed, shutting his eyes tightly as McCoy knelt down beside him, whipping out his tricorder. "And our prototype's on the landing deck. Might want to pick that up too. Then, destroy the base. And get us the hell out of here." McCoy waved the tricorder over Kirk's weak body and frowned at the results.

"Get me a med team up here as fast as you can," McCoy barked and Scotty started pressing buttons on his consul, still trying to process everything that had just happened.

"Leonard!" Uhura called as she burst into the room. McCoy stood up to greet her and she hugged him tightly before noticing Kirk moaning on the floor of the transporter pad. "Is that..." She trailed off, watching Kirk carefully.

"Long story." Kirk managed a small smile, his teeth clenched tightly as more pain waved through his body.

"Oh my God." Uhura breathed as she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Kirk. Kirk stifled a cry of pain as he patted her on the back in response. "What... what happened?" She asked, releasing him from the hug after realizing that she was hurting him.

"Scotty, how're we coming on that med team?" McCoy asked, his tricorder beeping furiously in his hand.

"They're on the way, doctor." Scotty responded and McCoy cursed under his breath. He reached down and pulled Kirk up by the arm, draping it over his shoulder and slipping his arm around Kirk's waist again. Kirk couldn't muster the strength to even stand anymore, and his legs dangled limply under him as McCoy struggled to pull him forward. Uhura sprung into action and took up Kirk's other side, lifting half the weight off McCoy's shoulder.

"Where's Spock?" Kirk asked gruffly as they pulled him through the doors and into the familiar halls.

"He's up on the bridge," Uhura answered quickly.

"Better not be sitting in my chair." Kirk managed a weak laugh as he closed his eyes.

"Jim?" McCoy asked frantically as he watched Kirk's eyelids droop. "Jim, don't you give up on me!" McCoy pleaded, pulling him down the hallway faster.

"Stopyellin..." Kirk slurred as his head slumped.

"Jim!" McCoy cried out. "JIM!"

/

Spock sat rigidly in the Captain's chair, a few blankets still cuddled around his shaking shoulders as his body struggled to maintain its heat. The rest of the crew seemed to bounce back quickly, each of them returning to their jobs as if nothing had happened. The relief was apparent on Spock's typically stoic face, his lips slightly upturned. _It seems as though the Captain of the Enterprise is automatically guaranteed to be forced into death-defying situations._

"Spock!" Uhura rushed out of the elevator doors, panting.

"Yes, Nyota?" Spock stood up to meet her when he noticed the conflicting emotions shining through on her face.

"Spock, it's Jim." Uhura breathed as Spock placed his hands on her arms soothingly. A million thoughts raced through Spock's head as he attempted to process what she had just said. _What could it be in regards to? His family? Has she perhaps gone mad with oxygen deprivation and hypothermia?_ "He's _alive_." Uhura smiled and Spock's eyes went wide. His jaw fell open, but no words escaped his mouth. He stood there, paralyzed. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel. "He's alive, Spock."

/

 _Thanks for reading! All of this positive feedback is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :) And thank you to the guest that pointed out one of my spots of discontinuity. I went back, and I think that I've fixed it now! That's what I get for not having a beta reader I suppose... Anyway, thanks for sticking with me this far, and I hope that you stick around for the rest of the story! I promise I'll update again soon!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	15. Chapter 15

"I do not understand." Spock whispered, watching Kirk's chest rising and falling rhythmically from where he lay on a biobed. "How is this possible?"

"Hell if I know." McCoy scoffed, checking Kirk's vitals again. "He 'neglected' to tell me the whole story."

"What _did_ he tell you?" Uhura asked quietly, her arm wrapped comfortingly around Spock's.

"Not a whole lot." McCoy sighed and scratched his head. "He busted into my apartment spouting some crazy-ass story about Starfleet trying to kill him. I wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for that one." McCoy pointed to the slumbering Chekov in the biobed beside Kirk's. "Started to put the pieces together then. We paid a visit to Admiral Glick and _that_ silenced all doubts."

"Fascinating." Spock breathed, not taking his eyes off the sleeping Kirk. Flashes of the lava planet raced through his head.

"What do we do now?" Uhura asked, pulling Spock back into the present.

"Doctor McCoy," Spock said politely and McCoy raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms across his chest. "I wish to apologize for my behavior during shore leave."

"Apology accepted." McCoy huffed and turned back to Kirk's vitals.

"Leonard." Uhura warned and McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Alright, fine. I didn't exactly act like a southern belle." He sighed and looked at the ground. "I guess I'm sorry too." He huffed. "You green-blooded hobgoblin." He mumbled and Spock had to suppress the smile forming on his lips.

"Shall we discuss our next course of action in the conference room?" Spock unclasped his hands from behind his back and beckoned to the door. McCoy looked back at Kirk's biobed readings hesitantly, then followed Spock and Uhura to the door.

"Chapel, you're in charge!" He called behind his shoulder as he stepped out, Spock and Uhura following close behind.

/

"Keptin," A small Russian voice pulled Kirk from his heavy slumber. "Keptin!" Chekov's voice rang clear, his excitement unbridled.

"Chekov?" Kirk asked, slowly opening his eyes and being blinded by the bright lights of sickbay.

"Keptin, it is so wery good to see you!" Chekov bounced up and down on his biobed. Kirk turned his head and saw the Russian puppy and couldn't help but smile.

"Good to see you too, buddy." Kirk smiled and let his eyes slip shut again, the fatigue pulling at his consciousness.

"How is zhis possible?" Chekov asked, keeping Kirk from going back to sleep.

"Long story involving a volcanic eruption, a scavenging ship, and a little taste of slavery." Kirk's drooping eyes opened up again as the memories began to flood back to him. "How're you doing, Chekov?" Kirk asked, remembering the poison McCoy told him about before.

"I am wery much alright. Ewen more now zhat you are here." Chekov beamed and Kirk couldn't help but reflect his expression on his own face.

"God, what time is it?" Kirk asked, his head pounding as he started to sit up. The blankets slid off his chest and he began to shiver again. He quickly yanked them back up to his neck, despite the soreness engulfing his muscles. "Where's Bones? And Spock?" He looked around slowly, but only saw the regular nursing staff walking around and treating other crew members. Kirk's heart dropped when he remembered how close most of the crew had come to suffocating.

"Zhe left a vhile ago." Chekov shrugged, plopping the tray of food that sat beside him onto his lap. "I asked zhe nurses. I knew zhat vould be zhe first thing you vould ask." He smiled as he began to eat his rehydrated food.

"Aw, come on Chekov. Give me a little credit. I _did_ ask how you were doing first." Kirk chuckled as he shifted in his bed.

"Zhat is true," Chekov smiled, the joy on his youthful face still shining through.

"I'm gonna need you to do something for me." Kirk groaned as he sat upright and swung his legs over the biobed, wrapping the blanket around the top of his body like a cowl.

"Vhat are you doing?" Chekov asked, the smile disappearing from his face. He replaced it with puppy eyes as Kirk pulled the blanket tighter around his arms.

"Cover for me when Chapel starts yelling?" Kirk winked at him and stood up. He nearly keeled over, but somehow managed to catch himself and stood up straight again.

"Keptin, maybe you should stay here for just a little vhile longer?" Chekov said, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Come on, Pavel. Don't give me the puppy eyes. I hate that." Kirk sighed as he reached out to the Russian kid and patted him on the head. "I'll be back. I just have to make sure that we're safe."

"Be careful, Keptin." Chekov called out as Kirk shuffled slowly towards the door.

"Will do!" Kirk called back as he made it through the door and out into the hallway. _Alright,_ he thought, despite the pounding in his head. _Conference room. That's where they'll be talking about what's going on._ He narrowed his eyes as he shuffled down the hall towards the nearest conference room. _Bones wouldn't go too far. Nearest conference room it is._ He ignored the pulsing in his head as he slowly made his way down the hall, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. A few passing crew members gave him a sideways glance, but none of them dared to stop him.

"So," Kirk said weakly as he opened the doors to the conference room to find a startled McCoy, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, and Scotty. "I'm kind of offended that I didn't get an invite."

"Jim?!" McCoy jumped up from his chair and rushed to Kirk's side. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" McCoy hissed as he hurriedly grabbed Kirk's arm to support him. Kirk shuffled towards one of the empty seats and McCoy helped him to sit down, then immediately pulled out his tricorder.

"I'm fine, Bones." Kirk batted the tricorder away, but McCoy persisted.

"Fine my _ass_." McCoy growled as he waved the tricorder over Kirk's shivering body. "We need to get you back to bed." He stormed over to the consul on the wall.

"Wait, Bones." Kirk sighed as he looked around the table at his crew. "Come on, I came all this way. At least let me know what's _going on_." McCoy's finger hovered over the call button. "So, are we discussing this month's issue of 'Silent Conference Room', or are we going to talk about the plan?" McCoy pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine." He huffed in defeat. " _Five minutes._ That's _it._ " He grumbled as he sat down next to Kirk, ready to leap up at any moment.

"Okay, give me the short version." Kirk pulled the blankets tighter as he waited for an answer.

"Well," Spock cleared his throat. "The cause of our current circumstances are still unclear," Spock started.

"Short version, we donnae have any clue what's going on," Scotty interrupted.

"Right," Kirk sighed. "Uh, well," He paused and looked over at McCoy who tapped on his watch. "There's some sort of secret organization embedded in Starfleet that's trying to destroy it from the inside out. They said it's for some sort of study."

"Fascinating." Spock said, still unable to look Kirk in the eyes.

"Here's the kicker. We don't know _who_ in Starfleet's out for our blood. Could be anyone. The creature in question's some sort of shape-shifter." Kirk said, fighting off the fatigue creeping up on him. McCoy shifted closer to Kirk, waiting for him to drop.

"There's got to be some way to differentiate them from everyone else." Uhura added, furrowing her brow in thought.

"Even if we found a way, I don't think the rest of Starfleet's going to be too excited about us picking off people within its ranks, no matter how good our reason is." Sulu sighed.

"Mr. Sulu is correct." Spock folded his hands neatly on the table. "There must be a way to expose the shape-shifters and their intentions."

The conference room fell silent again, each of the crew members lost in thought.

"Well," Kirk broke the silence. "We've got an entire brig full of shape-shifters to question. Let's figure out how they tick." Kirk stood up quickly and nearly toppled to the floor, but McCoy wrapped a strong arm around his waist and pulled him back up.

"Oh no, _you're_ coming back to sickbay with _me._ " McCoy shifted his grip to Kirk's arm, holding him upright steadily.

"Bones, I-" Kirk protested, but was met with McCoy shushing him.

"I will interrogate the prisoners and inform you of my findings." Spock said politely and Kirk grumbled under his breath.

"It's good to have you back, Captain." Sulu called as McCoy lead Kirk out the door.

"It's good to be back," Kirk called back, but McCoy forced him into the hallway.

"Jim," McCoy started as soon as the door slid shut behind him. "Why do you insist on making my job twenty times harder than it needs to be?"

"'Cause I like it when you're frustrated." Kirk laughed weakly as McCoy kept him moving forward.

"You're the reason that I have gray hairs, Jim." McCoy sighed as they neared sickbay again.

"And aren't they stylish?" Kirk laughed as McCoy helped him back into his biobed. McCoy tucked the blankets around Kirk's shivering body.

"No, they make me look _old._ Now, you're going to get some goddamn rest before I knock you out myself." McCoy scolded. "And _you,_ " McCoy turned toward Chekov who shrunk slightly. "You need to keep this idiot in bed, no matter what. Use the goddamn puppy eyes, I don't care."

"I already tried zhat, doctor." Chekov squeaked.

"Then wrestle him to the ground." McCoy said sternly. "I'm going to go help Spock with the prisoners. You're going to stay here. Do we understand each other?" McCoy said harshly.

"Aye aye, Captain." Kirk offered a small salute and McCoy rolled his eyes.

"I swear to God, if you're not here when I get back, I'll send you back to that lava planet _myself_." McCoy stormed out.

"Do you zhink zhat he vas-"

"Nah," Kirk shrugged as he interrupted Chekov. "I need eyes on the brig." Kirk said firmly, swinging his legs over the bed again.

"No no no no no no!" Chekov squealed, nearly jumping out of bed himself to stop him. "I vill not let you get up!"

"Well, if you can find me a way to see and hear what's going on in the brig, I won't _have_ to." Kirk crossed his arms across his chest.

"Vait a minute." Chekov threw the blankets off his bed and wandered away. Kirk watched him curiously as he returned with one of the nurse's PADDs. Chekov's fingers flew across the screen, then he handed it off to Kirk. Kirk looked down in wonder as he saw Spock and McCoy entering the brig from the camera feed.

"Did you just hack into the security cameras?" Kirk asked in disbelief as he watched Spock and McCoy. Chekov froze, half fearing Kirk's reaction. " _Awesome._ " A wide grin spread across his face. "What does this button do?" Kirk asked as Chekov crawled back under his blankets.

"Press it." He instructed and Kirk pressed the button. A sharp ringing noise came through PADD and McCoy and Spock looked around in bewilderment.

"Oh my God," Kirk laughed heartily, nearly dropping the PADD onto the floor. "Was that the calibration test buzzer?"

"I figured zhat you vould want to give zhem feedback," Chekov shrugged.

"God, did you see Bones's face?" Kirk asked, still laughing as he thought about the ridiculous look of confusion on McCoy's face. "I'm gonna do it again." He snickered as he held his finger on the button. McCoy looked around angrily and Kirk watched gleefully. Suddenly, his eyes caught on the prisoners. They each seemed to cringe at the noise. "Wait," Kirk said, thoughts rushing through his head. He pressed the button again and watched as the cringed. "Can you make this buzzer any higher?" Kirk asked, handing the PADD back to Chekov.

"I can try." Chekov shrugged and pressed a few more buttons. Kirk took the PADD back quickly and pressed the button again and watched as the prisoners gripped their ears in agony while McCoy and Spock simply looked around for the source of the minor annoyance.

"Oh my God," Kirk stopped. "I've got an idea!" Adrenaline poured through his veins as he leaped out of bed.

"Wait, Keptin, wait! Oh, zhere he goes." Chekov sighed as Kirk disappeared into the hallway.

/

 _Thanks again for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you stick around for more! Thank you again for all of the wonderful feedback :)_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	16. Chapter 16

"Commander Spock, there's nothing that you can do that'll stop the advancement of our plans." One of the beasts hissed at Spock through the laser grid of the brig cell. "After all, I thought that _you_ of all people would understand the logic in conducting our study."

"What you have considered to be logic is actually ignorance in disguise." Spock replied without missing a beat and McCoy had to suppress a smile. "It is entirely natural for organizations to fall and rise, and without the natural progress, the universe would have no advancements. Surely your own culture has suffered from different organizations coming to power and subsequently fallen, leaving your race with more knowledge."

"You see our point, then." The beast chuckled. "We want to _prevent_ the mistakes that our world has suffered. We seek to protect the universe from such missteps. Our logic is sound."

"The mistakes of beings across the universe are necessary to create outcomes, both positive and negative, in every other civilization. What is necessary is always logical. Therefore, your plan boasts no logic." Spock said dryly and McCoy couldn't help the smirk crossing his lips as he set up his tricorder to scan the prisoners.

"Now," McCoy said, waving his tricorder over one of the beasts. "Tell me again where you blue bastards are from?"

"I am afraid that you wouldn't know even if I told you." The beast offered a chuckle and the rest joined in. McCoy rolled his eyes and continued his scans.

"Well, I may not know where you're from, but I know where you're going if you don't cooperate." McCoy said, turning off his tricorder and staring the beast down. " _Hell._ " McCoy breathed and Spock raised an eyebrow with curiosity. The beast cowered back a step as McCoy continued to stare.

"Doctor, may I have a word with you?" Spock asked and McCoy's lips tightened into a frown as he followed the Vulcan into the hall. "What is the result of your scans?" Spock pressed, watching as McCoy scrolled through his tricorder.

"Not a whole lot, on first glance." McCoy sighed as he continued to sift through the data. Something tugged at the back of his mind. _Jim._ He thought silently, trailing off from his scrolling, his mind beginning to wander.

"Doctor McCoy?" Spock asked, trying to snap McCoy back into reality. "Is something wrong?"

"The Jim radar in my head's going off." McCoy thought, turning off the tricorder. "Something's wrong, I know it." McCoy looked around the halls, waiting to see Kirk peeking around the corner. "Why hasn't he tried to come down here and talk to the prisoners?"

"Did you not tell him to stay in sickbay?" Spock asked, an uneasy feeling growing in his stomach as well.

"You know damn well he doesn't listen to me. Or anyone else, for that matter." McCoy grumbled. "Come on. We've gotta go find him." McCoy started forward, but Spock didn't follow.

"We will cover more ground if we split up and look." Spock called and McCoy rolled his eyes.

"You call me as soon as you find him." McCoy ordered and Spock nodded. _Jim, what the hell have you gotten yourself into this time?_

/

"Spock!" Kirk called down the hallway as he saw Spock's back turned to him. He finished slipping the golden shirt over his head and tugged it down. Spock turned his head quickly and Kirk smiled.

"Captain, why are you not in sickbay?" Spock asked, scanning Kirk's outfit. "And why are you dressed in full uniform?"

"I wanted to look my best for interrogating the prisoners, so I made a pit-stop at my quarters." Kirk shrugged. "Now, come on. We've got some prisoners to interrogate." Kirk started forward, but Spock's strong arm latched onto his, pulling him back.

"Doctor McCoy would not be fond of this." Spock said plainly and Kirk rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Come on, Spock. I just want to talk to them for a little bit. Then you can lock me in sickbay." Kirk pleaded, attempting to pull his arm away. Spock pulled back, keeping him glued to the spot.

"That would be unwise." Spock said sharply, then slipped his arm around Kirk's waist and wrapped Kirk's arm around his shoulder.

"Don't be a buzzkill." Kirk grumbled. "I mean, what's twenty minutes-" Kirk was interrupted by a sharp pain stabbing into his back. He knew that feeling. It was a hypo. He felt all the strength leave his body and he drooped in Spock's arms. Spock gently rested him against the wall and slipped an emptied hypo into his belt. "Spock?" Kirk asked, near silently as he felt the fatigue rushing up on him. "Why?"

Spock's face suddenly morphed into a blue beast. Kirk's heart stopped as the beast grinned at him. "I'm not Spock, but I'm glad that you were fooled."

"How?" Kirk squeaked, not able to muster the energy to move.

"Command instructed me to stow away on the ship as an ordinary crewman. I was planted here as a contingency plan, in case anything went wrong." The beast shrugged, brushing off his uniform. "I was prepared to go down with the ship when the life support systems failed. I intend to do just that." The beast patted Kirk on the head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a life support system to sabotage." The beast smiled and walked off. "Oh, and you'll be long dead before anyone finds you," The beast called over his shoulder. "But believe me, they'll think you died of complications from your injuries. Guess you should've stayed in sickbay." The beast said snidely his face morphing into Spock's face once again, then disappeared around the corner.

Kirk sucked in a deep breath. He reached down for his communicator around his belt, but soon realized that he'd lost it on the lava planet and never got a replacement. He looked around the walls for a comm station, but the nearest one was feet away, and he knew that he could never reach it. _Think, Jim. Think._ He suddenly remembered the knife that he always kept tucked in his boot. _Bingo._ He forced himself to reach down and grab it in one swift movement. He clutched the knife in his weak fingers as he slowly turned his body enough so that he could reach the wall behind him. _Sorry, Enterprise._ He thought before he thrust the knife into the wall and dragged it down, leaving a small scratch on the surface of the metal. He pulled the knife out and continued engraving the wall, each stroke draining what little energy he had left.

He stabbed into the wall one final time, but couldn't muster the strength to keep going. Darkness started to cloud his vision as he looked back at his work. _I'm sorry._ He thought as his world was thrown into darkness.

/

"Jim?" McCoy called down the hallway as he saw a gold-covered body crumpled on the floor. His heart dropped. He ran to his side when he got no response and knelt down beside him. "Jim!" He yelled, but Kirk didn't move. McCoy ripped the communicator off his belt and set it to call Spock, then threw it to the side and pulled out his tricorder.

"Doctor?" Spock's voice asked from over the communicator.

"Spock! I found him! Deck five, near his quarters. Get over here _right now_." McCoy barked as he rolled Kirk carefully onto his side, still waiting for the tricorder to spit out results. As he moved him, he noticed the knife in his hand and the message scratched into the wall. He quickly shook off the realization and turned his attention back to Kirk's pale face.

Spock's footsteps thundered down the hallway, and he only sped up when he saw McCoy huddled over Kirk. "Is he alright, Doctor?" Spock asked breathlessly, noticing the lack of color on Kirk's face. "Doctor?" Spock asked again after receiving no reply. McCoy threw the tricorder aside and grabbed Kirk up by the arm. Spock hurriedly helped him pick up the captain.

"He's dying, Spock. I need to get him back to sickbay." McCoy said quickly, his brain going into high alert.

"What happened?" Spock asked, looking back at the message scratched into the wall. _Life Support S_ was crudely etched into the metal.

"I don't know, and I don't care." McCoy snapped, hurrying down the hallway.

Kirk's head lolled between his shoulders as they rushed him to the elevator. His eyes slowly opened slightly, but neither of the two men seemed to notice.

"Go," He whispered quietly, then his head fell again and his body went completely limp.

"Jim?!" McCoy asked quickly, his heart beating out of his chest. "Jim, talk to me!" He ordered, but Kirk gave no response. "Dammit," McCoy cursed as the reached the elevator and the two men lowered him onto the ground against the wall. McCoy pressed two fingers against Kirk's neck and held his breath. Spock watched in silence, thinking about what Kirk had written. _Life support s? Perhaps he meant Life Support System?_ Spock realized, and suddenly everything made sense. Someone had done this to Kirk. Someone was trying to take out the life support system.

"No," McCoy breathed as he took his fingers off of Kirk's neck. "No!" He yelled as he pushed a hypo into Kirk's neck. "His heart's stopped." McCoy said out loud, but Spock got the feeling that he was no longer talking to him. "Come on, Jim, come on!" McCoy pleaded as he pressed his fingers to Kirk's neck again. He muttered curses under his breath as he pushed Kirk to the ground and started to compress his chest. "Come on!" He yelled as he pressed down on Kirk's cold chest. Spock shook off his trance and called for a medical team.

"Doctor," Spock squeaked quietly, his heart lurching out of his chest as he watched McCoy. "I have to go check on the life support systems." He said, but he wasn't sure that McCoy had heard him.

"You _what_?" McCoy asked in disbelief as he continued to push down on Kirk's chest rhythmically.

"I have called for a medical team." Spock said, trying to keep his reserve. "I believe that the captain was trying to warn us of something."

"Spock, I _don't care._ " McCoy hissed. "This man is _dying._ Don't you care?!" He asked and Spock's heart stopped.

 _Take care of them, Spock!_ Kirk's words echoed in Spock's head. _Promise me._

"I have done what I can. If something were to happen to the life support system, it would not matter what happened to the captain. This is what he would want." Spock tried to convince the doctor and himself. "I am sorry, doctor." Spock said breathlessly as he sprinted out of the elevator, the guilt already eating away at him.

"Spock!" McCoy called after him. "SPOCK!"

/

 _Wow, that was a doozy of a chapter! I know, Spock's decision here may or may not have been what Spock would really do, but please try and keep in mind all of the other factors in play here. I guess I'm just asking for you to be patient with me, since this isn't a black and white decision that Spock had to make. I hope that you'll still stick around for more updates._

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	17. Chapter 17

Spock's fingers curled and uncurled nervously around his phaser, aimed straight ahead of him. He slowly moved around the corner of the dimly lit room, his heart racing with anticipation. Spock knew that someone must be trying to sabotage the life support system. After all, what else could Kirk possibly have meant?

Spock cleared his thoughts and turned another corner, his phaser up and ready. Just like before, he was met with only more machinery. There was no trace of anyone messing with the system.

 _Perhaps the Captain simply wished that we monitor the life support system?_ Spock exhaled sharply as he tried to think. _That would be most illogical, seeing as there have never been any malfunctions before. Perhaps there is a clue about defeating the organization hidden here?_

Spock lowered his phaser slightly, lost in thought. A small clattering noise quickly pulled him from his trance and he raised his phaser again, his heart picking up pace. He took a small step forward toward the origin of the noise, but spun around right before the butt of a phaser could be slammed into the back of his head. He quickly ducked, dodging the blow, but he froze when he saw the face of his attacker.

"Jim?" Spock asked, near silently.

"Spock?" Kirk raised an eyebrow as he tucked his phaser back into his belt. "What the hell are you doing down here? And why'd you sneak up on me like that?" Kirk smiled slightly as Spock tried to wrap his brain around the situation.

"Jim, I do not understand." Spock replied in a hushed voice, his phaser still trained on Kirk's head.

"Whoa, easy there, Spock." Kirk laughed as he put his hands up. "Careful where you're pointing that thing." He chuckled as he nodded to the phaser in Spock's hands.

"How is this possible?" Spock asked, his mind racing as he considered every possibility.

"What do you mean?" Kirk asked, pushing the phaser's aim from his head as Spock's focus shifted to his thoughts.

"Doctor McCoy discovered you in the hallway outside of your quarters not twenty minutes ago," Spock explained, his eyebrow raising curiously. "I left you with the Doctor moments ago." Spock said and something in his brain clicked. _Shape-shifters._ He pulled his phaser up again and pointed it at Kirk's head.

"Easy there, tiger." Kirk chuckled nervously as he raised his hands in the air again. "I think I know what's going on here." Kirk said, but Spock remained unmoved. "I was on my way to the brig to tell you that I figured out a way to stop these blue bastards, but I had a run-in with one of 'em near my quarters. He revealed himself just in time to try and take me out. I put up a fight and he suddenly morphed into me. Talk about creepy." Kirk stopped and chuckled. "Anyway, when he took on my form, he looked really tired and run down. I think it had something to do with my, well, my current situation." Kirk shrugged and rubbed his head.

"Why did you not call for assistance? And why are you here in the life support system hub?" Spock asked, remembering the message carved into the wall. Something wasn't right.

"I didn't have time," Kirk protested. "He just fell down and died right in front of me! I tried calling the brig, but they said that you guys had already left, so I went to find you myself. When I was walking past here, I heard something making noise in here, so I went in to check it out. Turns out it was just you." Kirk laughed, but Spock didn't move the phaser. "Spock?" Kirk asked nervously, but Spock's fingers curled around the trigger.

"You are not the Captain." Spock said coldly and Kirk sighed, his face suddenly melting back into a blue beast.

"Alright, so you got me. What gave it away?" The blue creature laughed heartily, despite the phaser trained on his head.

"The _real_ Captain carved a message into the walls of the Enterprise leading me here." Spock said stiffly.

"Tricky little bastard, I'll give him that." The alien sighed as he lifted his hands behind his head.

"How did you escape from the brig?" Spock asked.

"I was never in the brig," The beast sighed as he stared down the barrel of the phaser. "I was the contingency plan. The funny thing is, you never know who you can trust." The blue beast's head transformed into a perfect replica of Spock. Spock faltered slightly at the sight of his own face and the realization of how Kirk was posioned, and the alien took the opportunity to hit the phaser out of his hand and he threw the Vulcan into one of the control panels. "Did you know that I get to keep whatever skills or special abilities the creature I morph into has? I'm really a fan of this super-strength." The alien picked up the stunned Spock from the wreckage of the control panel and slammed him into the floor. Spock's vision swam as the attacker struck him across the face repeatedly.

The alien suddenly let up and pushed the limp Spock up against the consul gently. Spock struggled to keep his eyes open as he groggily watched his doppelganger bend a piece of metal from the busted consul around his wrist, trapping him.

"You know," The beast sneered. "I could just kill you now, or I could let myself have the satisfaction of knowing that you died slowly and painfully as every cell in your body is deprived of oxygen." The beast hunched over another consul and began to type on it rigorously. "I think I'll take the second option." The alien said smugly, stepping away from the consul. A blaring alarm sounded through the entire ship, alerting everyone that the life support system was offline. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a meddlesome Captain to kill again." The alien slammed the door shut behind him and Spock could hear the metal grinding as he bent it out of shape, blocking anyone from coming in or getting out.

Spock struggled to keep his eyes open, despite the blaring alarms. _Jim._ He remembered suddenly and fumbled with his belt with his free hand and pulled out his communicator.

"Spock to Sickbay," Spock said weakly, the communicator seeming to swirl in his fingers. "Spock to Sickbay." Spock repeated a little more forcefully, but still got no response. _The electrical interference from the broken consul must be disabling my communicator functions._ Spock thought, darkness tugging at the edge of his vision. _I am sorry, Captain._

/

Kirk's consciousness slowly returned and he was slammed with an overwhelming pain in his chest. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling of sickbay again.

"Bones," He said, his voice cracking and the strain of filling his lungs sent shooting pain through his chest.

"Jim, take it easy, now." McCoy cooed, but something wasn't quite right. Kirk forced himself to sit up, and he realized that he was in the last place that he wanted to be - the quarantine room. The white walls on each side of him made him feel trapped inside, the small door at the other end of him sealed shut tightly. McCoy's exasperated face showed through the window. "Now what did I just tell you?" He sighed and Kirk propped himself up by the arm.

"Bones, we don't have time for this." Kirk made a move to swing his legs over the bed, but an energy bubble field appeared around the bed.

"Sorry, Jim. This is the way things have to be." McCoy said sadly. "You keep trying to get yourself killed, and I'm going to do everything in my power to stop you."

"Bones, you don't understand." Kirk moaned as he pushed against the impenetrable energy field.

"The hell I don't!" McCoy yelled and Kirk froze. "I found you _nearly dead_ in the hallway, Jim!" McCoy continued, nearly choking on all the emotion spilling out with his words. "I had to give you _archaic CPR_! And all of this could've been avoided if you would've just stayed put!" McCoy shook with overwhelming anger and sadness. "You can't keep doing this to me, Jim. You just can't." He trailed off, trying to contain himself again.

"Bones, listen to me." Kirk said softly, leaving the energy field alone. "I was okay, I swear." McCoy opened his mouth, but Kirk put up his hand to stop him. "I was jumped in the hall outside my quarters by one of the shape-shifters. He nearly hypo-ed me to death." Kirk said, remembering the pain. "That's why I wrote that message. One of 'em's loose, Bones." McCoy listened intently, understanding crossing his stern features. "We've gotta take 'em down."

"What are we going to do?" McCoy asked quietly.

"There's a frequency that stuns them. Remember that sound in the brig?" Kirk asked, forcing himself to sit up straighter. "We need to blast that all over the ship. Then we'll know who to take down." Kirk sat up straight and huffed with the effort, his chest burning. "So let me outta here." He commanded, but McCoy stayed glued to his feet. "Bones?" Kirk asked after getting no response.

"I'm not going to let you get yourself killed." McCoy said sternly, crossing his arms across his chest. "I'll take care of it."

"Bones, I-" Kirk started.

"No." McCoy interrupted harshly. "You'll be safe in there." He said firmly.

The alarms for the life support system failure suddenly sounded and Kirk cursed under his breath.

"We're too late." Kirk muttered, pushing against the energy field again.

"Spock's down there," McCoy said, trying to mask the panic in his voice. "He'll take care of it."

"The frequency, Bones." Kirk groaned as he threw his weight against the energy field, but was just pushed back again. "Get Chekov to help. Go now." Kirk commanded, but McCoy didn't move. "Go!" He yelled, letting himself fall back into the soft pillows. McCoy nodded slightly and took off running towards Chekov's biobed. Everyone in sickbay was beginning to panic, the constant alarms only stirring the pot.

"Chekov," McCoy called before he had even reached the young Russian's bed. "Jim said something about a frequency taking out the shape-shifters?" McCoy huffed and Chekov sat straight up in his bed.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, pulling the stole PADD out from under his blanket. "Yes, yes, yes!" He started typing away as McCoy watched curiously. "I can do zat!" He continued moving his fingers in a furious storm. "Does ze Keptin want it to go ship-wide?"

"Yeah," McCoy said, still in awe of the Russian whiz kid.

"Five meenutes," Chekov said without looking up from the PADD. "Give me five meenutes."

"Doctor McCoy," Spock called from the doorway of sickbay, calling both men's attention.

"Spock?" McCoy asked, moving towards the Vulcan. "What the hell happened down there?"

"I was attacked by a shape-shifter." Spock said, moving quickly through sickbay, scanning the biobeds for Kirk. "I need to speak with the Captain."

"What about the life support systems?" McCoy asked in disbelief, following Spock through sickbay.

"That is precisely what I need to talk to him about." Spock said firmly, pushing through the panicking nurses and patients. "Where is he?"

"Why don't you tell me why you need to talk to him first?" McCoy asked harshly. "He's in bad shape, you know. I can't really afford to let _you_ see him."

"The Captain possesses essential information regarding the repair of the life support system." Spock continued to look around.

"Why not call Scotty or something?" McCoy asked angrily.

"Mr. Scott is already hard at work repairing the system." Spock snapped. "But we cannot save the lives of all of the crew without the aid of the Captain."

"Fine," McCoy huffed after a moment of thought. "He's in quarantine." McCoy barely finished his sentence before Spock swiftly moved towards the quarantine room. "I don't want you going in there!" McCoy protested as the reached the door.

"I don't really give a shit what you want." Spock turned around and McCoy's expression went blank as Spock pulled the phaser from his belt.

"Bones?" Kirk asked quickly, hearing the commotion through the door. "Bones is everything okay?"

Spock fired a phaser bolt into McCoy's shoulder, throwing him into the wall. McCoy screamed out in pain from the fiery blast and Kirk's blood ran cold.

"BONES!" He yelled as he snapped back into focus. Spock's face appeared in the small window of the door and Kirk froze.

"Miss me?" Spock's face melted back into a blue alien and adrenaline poured into Kirk's veins.

The door slid open and Kirk pushed against the energy field, but got no farther than before. The alien waltzed into the room, an evil grin spread across his face. He pulled a gleaming knife from his belt and twirled it in his fingers.

"Do you know that old Terran expression, 'twisting the knife'?" The alien asked as he drew closer and Kirk continued to pound against the energy bubble furiously. "I think I'm going to test it on you and see _just_ how bad it really is." The alien stood over Kirk's bedside and Kirk rolled back onto his back and watched as the beast disabled the field. He quickly rolled himself off the bed and hit the floor with a hard thud. The wind left his body in a hurry as his chest pounded in agony. "Did you really think that would help?" The alien chuckled as he threw Kirk onto his back again and pinned him to the ground, the knife waving over his chest. "Now, this is going to hurt."

/

 _Sorry for the long wait! Things just started getting hectic in my life. I promise I'll update again soon, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

- _buckminsterbarnes_


	18. Chapter 18

Kirk watched in horror as the shape-shifter's face twisted into a grin. His shaky breath was going faster than he could regulate it. _This is it._ He thought. _I've got no other options. This is the end._ He sucked in a deep breath and let his eyes snap shut.

Suddenly, a piercing siren rang out through the room and Kirk's eyes opened hurriedly to see the disoriented alien forcing the knife at his chest. Kirk moved quickly, the knife cutting a deep gash into his arm, but narrowly missing his chest. The shape-shifter clutched his ears in agony and Kirk squirmed out from under his grasp and stole the phaser from his belt. Faster than lightning, Kirk set the phaser to kill and released a single blast straight into the shape-shifter's head. The alien crumbled to the ground in a heap and Kirk let out a sigh of relief and tucked the phaser into the pocket of his sickbay gown.

"Keptin?" Chekov ducked his head out from behind the quarantine door, his young eyes filled with fear.

"Chekov," Kirk's breath left him with a whoosh and he struggled to remain on his feet. "Nice timing." He blinked hard, trying to ward off the nausea. He slowly shuffled to the doorway and braced himself on it. "Bones," Kirk said breathlessly, his heart stopping as he watched his best friend writhing in agony on the ground, his shoulder charred. "Bones!" He sucked in another deep breath and knelt down beside McCoy. "You okay?"

"In Jim terms, probably." McCoy grunted, his eyes shut tightly. "Get back in bed, you idiot." He turned to face Kirk and saw the gash in his arm and his eyes went wide. "Jim!" He cried out, but Kirk offered up his classic smirk and offered a hand to McCoy.

"I'm fine, Bones." He said, but McCoy refused his hand and reached to his belt for his tricorder, but the small motion brought on sharp pains in his shoulder. "Come on, you stubborn old coot." Kirk huffed as he grabbed McCoy under the good arm and attempted to pull him up. Chekov quickly moved to his other side and helped him up.

"Jim, you need to sit down." McCoy insisted as Kirk staggered at his side, the two men pushing McCoy towards an empty biobed.

"Yeah, yeah." Kirk tried to laugh, but his labored breathing turned it into a pained chuckle. "Nurse," Kirk called to one of the young nurses who was trying in vain to keep everyone calm. "I need you to take care of Bones," He huffed as they set McCoy down on the empty bed.

"Jim," McCoy warned as Kirk stumbled back and let the nurse stand at the bedside. "If you think I'm going to let you walk out of here, then you're the biggest damned idiot I've ever met."

"I thought we've already established that I am," A pained smile spread across Kirk's lips. "I'll be back. You get better."

"Jim," McCoy yelled as Kirk and Chekov disappeared into the bustling crowd of sickbay. "Jim!" He screamed and tried to get up, but the nurse held him down.

Kirk peeked his head around the corner of the doorway and gave McCoy a quick salute before disappearing into the hallway.

"Keptin, do you really think zhat you should be moving around so much?" Chekov asked, following the surprisingly quick Kirk through the hallways, the alarms blaring all around them.

" _I_ think that you should open up a ship-wide channel," Kirk instructed as he trekked ahead, his heart pounding out of his chest with the effort.

"Yes, Keptin." Chekov nodded quickly, his fingers moving in a flurry across his PADD. "Here you go," Chekov handed him the PADD as they entered the elevator.

"Thanks," Kirk gave him a warm smile. "Alright." He sighed. "Here goes nothing." He pressed a button on the PADD and heard the click of the channel opening. "Attention all crew. This is Captain Kirk." He paused for a brief second, remembering that most of the crew probably still thought that he was dead. "I don't know if Commander Spock filled you all in, but yeah, I'm still alive. Anyway, I need you all to remain calm. We've having some difficulties with the life support system, but we'll get it back up and running soon. One more thing. If you see _anyone_ changing into a blue beast-like alien at the sound of this ringing, you need to stun them _immediately_ and call security." He took a deep breath as the elevator came to a stop. "Kirk out." He finished and pushed the PADD back into Chekov's hands.

Kirk stepped out of the elevator, a new energy filling his body. Chekov followed him, hot on his heels as they made their way past panicking crewmen and towards the life support systems hub.

"Chekov," Kirk huffed, realizing how much energy he was devoting to just continue forward. "I need you to call Scotty down here." He took a shaky breath in and Chekov nodded before returning his attention back to the PADD.

"Capin" Scotty's thick accent greeted them as they reached the doorway, the crumpled door strewn to the side, a hole from a phase blast in the center. "Is abou' time you got 'ere." Scotty yelled over the alarms and the clattering of metal.

"Where's Spock?" Kirk asked, bracing himself against the doorway. He finally took a second to look at his arm and noticed the crimson blood soaking the sleeve of his sickbay gown.

"Here, Captain." Spock said weakly, his arm still pinned against one of the consuls.

"The hell happened here?" Kirk asked, looking around at the carnage.

"The shape-shifter took on my form and destroyed much of the machinery and corrupted the other systems." Spock said, glancing back down at the PADD Scotty had given to him.

"How're we coming on repairs?" Kirk asked, moving himself into the room and bracing himself one of the damaged consuls.

"It's not lookin' good," Scotty frowned as sparks shot up from on of the consuls. Kirk pushed himself up and turned on the consul and it spat a dozen error codes at him.

"Has he disabled the systems with a virus, or just corrupt them?" He asked, skimming through all of the messages.

"It looks like they hawe been disabled." Chekov answered, not even looking up from his consul.

"That means we can still salvage what's left." Kirk breathed, pulling up the system diagnostics.

"The problem is bypassing the denial of service that the virus has established," Spock replied, still scanning his PADD.

"This virus is like nothin' I've ever seen, Capin'." Scotty breathed, looking at the consul in awe.

"What about a hard restart?" Kirk asked, and everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you suggesting that we shut down the life support system entirely and reboot it?" Spock asked.

"What other option do we have?" Kirk shrugged. "If we evacuate all crewmen to the shuttles, but not launch them, they'll be able to live off of the systems in there. Then we reboot the system and flush out the virus."

"You're forgettin' that someone has to manually restart the system," Scotty said, already fearing that Kirk had thought it out that far.

"I'll stay here and get things running again," Kirk shrugged. "I'll take one of the space-walk suits and wait it out."

"The suits have been compromised, as they siphon oxygen from life support systems of the ship to supply themselves." Spock added firmly. "There is likely to be only reserve amounts of oxygen left in each suit. The odds of the suits having enough oxygen to sustain your body while the life support systems reboot are next to none."

"Besides, Meester Spock is still stuck." Chekov piped up.

"Right." Kirk sighed and pulled out the phaser that he'd stolen from the alien.

"Captain, what-" Spock was interrupted by a phaser blast exploding from Kirk's phaser and destroying a chunk of metal that was connecting the consul to the ground. Spock stared in disbelief as he lifted his arm and pieces of the consul clattered to the ground, only leaving a small piece of hot metal around his wrist.

"Let's go get a suit." Kirk said firmly and turned to leave, but felt the ground rush up on him. He barely caught himself on the consul in time to avoid toppling to the floor.

"Captain, it is highly illogical that _you_ should remain here to restart the system." Spock stood up slowly, his head pounding.

"It vould be much safer for one of us to take zhe risk." Chekov said quietly.

"The laddie's right. Let me stay aboard, Capin'. The Enterprise is my lovely lady, after all." Scotty plastered a fake smile on his face to cover up his nervousness.

"Alright," Kirk sighed after a long silence. "Scotty, you're going to stay aboard. Let's go down and get you a suit." Kirk stood up straight and the room started to spin, but Spock grasped a strong hand around his arm, keeping him upright. "Chekov, order a ship-wide evacuation to the transports, but make sure they know not to take off."

"Aye, Keptin." Chekov nodded and got to work on his PADD again.

"Where is Doctor McCoy?" Spock asked as he led Kirk out of the room and towards the elevator.

"Sickbay," Kirk grunted as Spock pulled him up straighter. "The shape-shifter shot him. He's gonna be fine." Kirk reassured him as they entered the elevator, Scotty hot on their heels. The elevator door slid shut and Kirk let his eyes close. He knew what he had to do.

"That is unfortunate." Spock mused, and Kirk could detect the sadness in his voice.

"May I hawe your attention pleese." Chekov's small voice came over the blaring alarms. "Zhe Keptin has ordered a ship-wide ewacuation to the emergency transports. He requests zhat all personnel board zhe ships, but do not launch them. Zhe life support systems will be rebooted once eweryone has boarded zhe ships. Zhank you." Chekov finished and the three men in the elevator sat in silence, absorbed in thought.

"How the hell did we get to this point?" Kirk asked, a weak smile passing on his lips.

"A lot of bad luck, I suppose." Scotty laughed dryly.

"Captain, what do you propose our next course of action should be?" Spock asked, trying to redirect the conversation in a hurry.

"Well," Kirk took a deep breath and straightened himself out. "We're going to have to take this fight to Starfleet, and then to the shifter's home planet. Just because we stop them at Starfleet, doesn't mean they'll stop sending reinforcements." Kirk said firmly, trying to push the pain and exhaustion deep down again.

"How do you propose we tackle the problem at Starfleet?" Spock raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

"Same type of thing we did here," Kirk shrugged. "Blast that god-awful noise over every available frequency and weed out the shifters. Tell Starfleet command what's going on as soon as we know who we can trust."

"Fascinating." Spock nodded slightly and the elevator slowed to a halt and the doors slid open to reveal a hangar in mass chaos. Crew members were scattering around the ships, each of them racing to get the next available seat.

"God," Kirk said breathlessly. "Spock, you need to make sure that everyone gets on a transport." Kirk said, stiffening his muscles to make himself more secure. "Scotty and I'll go get him suited up." Spock gave Scotty a sideways glance, but Scotty just shrugged. "Keep a communication line open. Scotty'll signal you when he's in position."

"Be careful." Spock finally said in defeat, then reluctantly released Kirk's arm.

"When have I been anything else?" Kirk smiled and Spock had to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes before walking away.

"Which way, Capin'?" Scotty ask and Kirk sucked in a deep breath.

"Over here." Kirk motioned with his head to the long stretch of wall lined with capsules to their right. Kirk took labored steps forward, but with every step, he picked up momentum. _I've gotta do this. For my crew._ He thought as he pushed himself forward, Scotty following him closely, watching his every move with growing concern.

The two men finally stopped at the large tube and Kirk slammed his fist into the button, releasing the doors to reveal a gleaming gold space-walk suit.

"She's a beauty," Scotty marveled and Kirk nodded in agreement.

"Too bad you won't get to wear it." Kirk sighed and Scotty's head snapped towards him.

"Wait, not again!" Scotty yelled as Kirk whipped the phaser out of his pocket and stunned Scotty. He fell to the ground in a crumpled mess.

"Sorry, Scotty. I've gotta do this." Kirk shrugged and pulled the suit out of the tube and put it on. The metallic fabric clung to his body as put it on, crinkling with every step. "Alright," He sighed and tucked the helmet under his arm. "Let's do this." Kirk waved down one of the straggling crew members and pointed to Scotty. The crewman rushed to his side and knelt down beside the slumbering Scotty. "Take him to one of the transports."

"Aye, Captain." The crewman said without a second's thought and picked Scotty up by the arm and dragged him towards the transports. Kirk watched in silence as the remaining crew filed in to the transports and he made his way to the elevator.

 _God, I need a vacation._ He thought as the elevator doors slid shut behind him and he was whisked off to the life support system deck. _Maybe somewhere tropical._ He continued his fantasy as he marched towards the broken door. _Hell, the whole crew could use a shore leave somewhere nice._ He stepped over the busted remains of the consul and towards the main control panel. _Maybe I'll plan some party or something. Nice drinks, some beach volleyball, swimming, sounds like fun._ He let his hand rest over the panel, flipping a couple of switches and pressing a few buttons. The screen finally flashed 'MANUAL SHUT DOWN' with a large button beneath it and Kirk sucked in a deep breath and opened his communicator.

"I'm in position." He spoke clearly and readied his helmet.

"Captain?!" Spock's voice, the worry thinly veiled, came over the communicator. "Where is Mr. Scott?!"

"On one of the transports, safe and sound. Also stunned." He shrugged. "Now let's get this party started."

"Captain, it is unwise to proceed." Spock spoke quickly.

"We don't have the time to suit someone else up and come up here," Kirk replied over the din of the increasingly loud alarms. The computer began to shout 'CATASTROPHIC FAILURE'. "It's now or never."

"Very well." Spock said stiffly after a moment's hesitation. "I will walk you through the restart. Please attempt to stay conscious despite the circumstances."

"I'll do my best." Kirk sighed and slipped on his helmet. It immediately warned him of low oxygen.

"Shut down the system now." Spock instructed and Kirk slammed his fist into the button and the alarms and lights suddenly stopped.

"Now what?" Kirk asked, breaking the eerie silence.

"The control panel at the very back of the room. There is a large breaker there. Flip it." Spock said and Kirk could sense the tension in his voice.

"Got it." Kirk said, slowly making his way to the back. He flipped the enormous breaker and braced himself against the panel. 'OXYGEN NEARLY DEPLETED'.

"Captain, please refrain from speaking unless it is absolutely necessary." Spock instructed. "Once you have flipped the breaker, there is a small green button on the side of the panel near the entrance that must be pushed. Then flip the breaker again. The systems will restart." Kirk nodded, though he realized Spock wouldn't see it. He pushed his way through the room and pressed the button, then looked back at the breaker again. It seemed to be miles away now. _I've gotta do this._ He repeated to himself as he trudged forward, unconsciousness tugging at his brain. He shut his eyes tightly and pushed ahead until he felt the breaker under his hand. _For my crew._ He used the last of his strength and flipped the breaker back up, then fell to the ground, darkness consuming him.

/

 _Sorry for the wait again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though! Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews! I've been considering pursuing a career in screenplay writing... all of that positive encouragement only makes me want to do it more! Anyway, I'll update the story again soon. Thanks for hanging with me!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	19. Chapter 19

"Captain?" Spock asked hurriedly, then held his breath as he waited for some response. "Captain?" He repeated, but the line remained silent.

"Meester Spock?" Chekov said quietly, clutching the PADD tightly. "Zhe life support systems hawe been restored." Before Chekov could finish his sentence, Spock slammed on the door release button and burst out into the hangar.

His thoughts raced as he sped through the hangar and to the elevator. _Perhaps the Captain does indeed have a death wish?_ He thought as the elevator made its way up through the floors quickly, but it was still too slow for Spock's liking. _Doctor McCoy will have to evaluate him thoroughly._ He swallowed hard as another thought crossed his mine. _Perhaps the Captain will not be alive for the evaluation._ He pushed the thought into the depths of his mind as the elevator doors slid open and he raced out, like a horse being let out of the gates.

"Captain?" Spock yelled before he even had the chance to enter the room. His heart dropped when he spotted Kirk laying motionless on the ground. He immediately knelt down beside him and tore the helmet from his head. His mind raced as he saw the tint of blue Kirk's lips had taken from the oxygen deprivation. "Captain," He shook Kirk's shoulders gently, trying to arouse him. When he didn't stir, he placed two fingers gently on his neck, searching desperately for a pulse. The weak and thready pulse was barely there, but he sighed in relief at the beat.

Spock ripped his tricorder out of his belt and flipped it open, his other hand cradling Kirk's limp head. "Ensign Chekov," He spoke quickly.

"Chekov here, Commander." Chekov's small voice piped through the communicator.

"Give the all clear signal to all personnel." He breathed, then turned his attention back to Kirk's cold body. "And send a medical team up to the life support systems room immediately."

"Yes sir!" Chekov said firmly, and the line went dead.

"You told me once to protect your crew." Spock said quietly to the lifeless Kirk. "I do believe that you are a part of that crew."

/

"Spock." McCoy snarled at the Vulcan from across the sickbay.

"Doctor McCoy." Spock shifted nervously, trying to keep his head held high.

"What. The. Fuck." McCoy growled, narrowing his eyes at Spock. "Why the _fuck_ did you think it would be okay to let Jim go out there?!" He yelled and tried to throw his arms out in distress, but one of them was pinned to his chest, the sharp movement reminding him of the phaser blast that ripped through his shoulder.

"Doctor McCoy," Spock said gently, trying to diffuse the situation. He could see McCoy's anger building steadily, and the last thing that he wanted him to do was explode in the middle of medbay with all of the crew there to watch. "Perhaps we should speak about this matter somewhere more private."

"Why the fuck should we do that?!" McCoy screamed at the top of his lungs. The rest of the bustling medbay suddenly fell silent. "Everything that I have to say about your _ignorance_ and _incompetence_ should be common knowledge for everyone on this ship!" McCoy screamed. "Hell, maybe everyone in the entire _universe._ You let a half-dead man risk not only his own life, but the lives of _everyone_ on this ship. Tell me what kind of fucking twisted logic you used to get to the conclusion that it was right for him to walk out of this _sickbay_ and let alone gallivant around the ship throwing his life away so carelessly!" McCoy continued, his face turning a vibrant shade of red.

"Doctor," Spock sucked in a deep breath and tried to remain firm. "It is clear that this anger you are showcasing is not meant for me, but instead for the Captain." Spock paused for a brief second, but continued as soon as he saw McCoy's lips part to speak again. "Regardless, if you continue to lash out, I will have no choice but to relieve you of your duties temporarily and place you in the brig until you calm down." Spock finished and prepared himself for the backlash.

"The fuck did you just say to me?" McCoy asked near silently. "The FUCK did you just try to tell me?" McCoy stepped forward and shot out an accusatory finger towards Spock. "I'm not the one that let Jim jeopardize the lives of everyone aboard this ship. I'm not the one that tried to _rationalize_ letting him kill himself. If anyone should be getting the boot, it should be _you._ " McCoy spat.

"Bones, that's _enough_." Kirk's stern voice interrupted the argument. Everyone's head snapped towards Kirk's biobed, where he lay broken and bruised, but the expression on his face still could lead anyone to believe that he was strong enough to take on the entire Klingon Armada single-handed. He rarely used this voice on his enemies, and let alone his own crew. Everyone stood in stunned silence.

"Jim," McCoy growled after he shook himself out of the trance. "You're lucky you're even fucking _alive_ right now. You've got no right to-"

" _Enough._ " Kirk said again and McCoy's mouth snapped shut. He couldn't explain it, but it was like Kirk was suddenly an entirely new person. "What I did was my decision, and my decision _only._ No one could've stopped me." He paused for a brief second, trying to straighten himself up in the biobed. "You've got no reason to be pissed at Spock."

"Jim, you were under the influence of more drugs than you can probably name. Why the hell did you do it?" McCoy asked, his anger melting into despair.

"Maybe that's why I did it. Maybe not. I don't know, Bones." Kirk sighed, feeling the little bit of energy that he had fading away. "All I knew was that I couldn't let anyone die." He sighed heavily. "And yeah, what I did was fucking stupid. Literally anyone else could've gotten the job done. With everything that was going on, I don't know, I guess I couldn't think straight." He trailed off, his head throbbing. "But it doesn't matter now why I did what I did. It's over and done with. Now, we've got a job to do." He tried to sit up, but was knocked back down with overwhelming pain. McCoy's eyes filled with sorrow as he rushed to Kirk's side and detached the bed from the wall.

"Let's get you somewhere a little more quiet." McCoy huffed as he pushed the bed towards the private rooms. "And if you think I'm just going to let this go, you're in for a surprise." He said, his angry voice edged with sorrow.

"How's your shoulder?" Kirk asked as Spock stepped through the door of the private room and shut the door behind him.

"Jim, you're a fucking idiot." McCoy hissed, ignoring Kirk's question entirely.

"Bones, I'm _sorry._ " He sighed, shifting uncomfortably as McCoy pushed the bed into the wall and the screens lit up with readings.

"It doesn't matter if you're sorry or not." McCoy said firmly. "What I need to hear is that you won't do it again."

"Bones, I-" Kirk started, but McCoy cut him off.

"But I know that won't happen. Because you're a fucking _idiot._ " He sighed heavily. "I'm tired, Jim. I'm tired of your never-ending bullshit." He sat down in one of the comfy seats at the bedside. "You keep going out there, risking your _life_ , which you don't seem to give a shit about. Don't give me that shit about the 'greater good', either. Jim, there's so many people out there that can do just as much as you. I'm sick of this self-sacrificing shit. Do you really not get that you're worth more alive than dead? One of these days, you're going to end up in my sickbay, broken beyond repair. What the hell am I supposed to do then? Marvel in the fact that you 'gave yourself up for others'? No, Jim. I'm going to miss you like hell. And no matter what happened, that's not going to change. Stop the nobility crap and start thinking about how it'll affect the people around you."

"I'm sorry." Kirk said quietly after a long silence. "Bones, I really am sorry, alright? I didn't mean for this to happen. I was only trying to do what I thought was right."

"I know that, kid, but that doesn't mean that you've got to give up your life for it, okay?" McCoy said soothingly, almost like a parent that just finished reprimanding their child.

"I'm not going to change, Bones. I can't."

"You're going to have to try. I can't lose you." McCoy said stiffly and Kirk nodded slowly.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but there is still the matter of the shape-shifters to attend to." Spock cleared his throat and McCoy shot him an angry glare.

"Right," Kirk sat up a little and McCoy's attention turned back to him, his hand instinctively reaching for his medkit. "You've gotta blast that frequency across all Starfleet frequencies. That's the only way we know how to uproot them." Spock nodded in understanding. "I'll record a message over the frequency to let everyone know what's going on."

"Then what?" McCoy asked.

"Then we've gotta take the fight to them. Send someone to interrogate one of the shifters that we've got left. Get them to tell us where they're from. Then, we can warp our asses out there and take them down." Kirk breathed, pulling the blanket tighter around him. "I'll stay here and rest. Wake me up when you need that message." Kirk let his eyes close as he sunk into the pillows.

"Of course, Captain." Spock nodded as McCoy stood over Kirk's bedside, hypo in his hand. McCoy pressed the hypo into Kirk's neck gently and the readings steadied out, letting him know that Kirk was now in a deep sleep.

"You think we're ready for this?" McCoy asked, sitting back down in his chair, exhausted.

"We have no other choice." Spock said stiffly, his clasping his hands nervously behind his back.

"He needs to rest," McCoy said, trying to convince himself.

"I simply hope that he will be ready to assist us when we need him." Spock sighed slightly.

"When has he ever let us down before?" McCoy asked, looking over at the slumbering Kirk, remembering all the times Kirk had saved his life and countless others. He felt guilty for scolding him, but he knew that it had to be done. He couldn't bear the thought of losing him - again.

"Watch over him, doctor. I have a prisoner to interrogate." Spock turned to leave.

"Wait," McCoy said, just before Spock could walk out. "I'm sorry, Spock. Good luck. And don't give me that shit about not believing in luck."

"I am sorry as well," Spock swallowed hard as he looked back. "I will not let him down." Spock said firmly as he stepped out. He closed the door behind him and sucked in a deep breath. _I promise._

/

 _Thanks for reading! Sorry this chapter wasn't super exciting, but I felt like all of the emotions had to be dealt with... anyway, thanks again for sticking with me, and I hope you'll stick around for more!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	20. Chapter 20

"Did you really think that this would work?" The blue creature smiled, sitting plainly in his interrogation chair, his wrists and ankles strapped tightly down.

"I was afraid that it would take more persuasion than this method provided." Spock sighed and stood up calmly from his seat across the table. The alien twitched slightly and Spock had to suppress a smile. He was afraid. Spock had cracked him.

Spock walked over to the wall consul slowly and purposefully and he watched the alien's muscles flex from the corner of his eye.

"Spock to Bridge." Spock said firmly into the consul.

"Bridge here, Mr. Spock." Uhura's voice came back.

"Please send Captain Kirk down to the interrogation room." Spock paused for a meaningful second. "And please tell him to bring the inhibitor." The alien barely shifted in his seat.

"Right away, Commander." Uhura chirped and the consul cut out.

"I am prepared to die for my planet's ideals." The alien said through gritted teeth.

"While I am sure that is true, it is unnecessary." Spock said plainly as he folded his hands behind his back neatly once again. "You will simply wish you were dead instead." Spock waltzed back to his seat and calmly sat back down at the table.

"It's not the Vulcan way to make threats, now is it Mr. Spock?" The alien said, desperate to gain leverage on Spock.

"It is not like a self-proclaimed 'superior species' to massacre dozens of others for a 'higher purpose' that they have no supporting evidence for." Spock shot back and the alien fell silent. "Now," Spock cleared his throat. "I believe that you were going to tell me the location of your home planet."

"What good do you think that's going to do?" The alien hissed. "We have an _army_ at our disposal. You have a beaten-up ship and Starfleet on your tail." The blue beast cracked a small smile.

"As you have witnessed, this ship and all its crew is prepared to withstand whatever comes its way. You refusal to cooperate will to little but slow us down for mere hours." Spock said sternly, staring straight into the beast's eyes. "While your cooperation is appreciated, it is unnecessary." He said coldly and the alien shivered slightly.

"Let's say that I _did_ tell you," The alien finally sighed after a long silence. "What good would it do me?"

"Aside from allowing the Captain to carry out his... unorthodox means of obtaining information, you might receive a pardon from a harsher punishment from the Starfleet officials." Spock sat rigidly, the alien squirming slightly under the pressure and shuddering at the mention of Kirk.

"Your _Captain_ was in critical condition, last I heard." The alien struggled to gain leverage once again. "How is it possible that he's going to come down here and 'interrogate' me?"

"You should never underestimate what a man like Kirk would do for his crew. Especially after their lives have been repeatedly threatened." Spock said coldly and the alien narrowed his eyes, trying to maintain his bravado. "I would recommend that you not attempt to find out."

/

"Doctor McCoy?" Spock cleared his throat as he entered the private medical room, PADD in hand. McCoy sat, his head propped up on his arms, his eyes drooping closed as he monitored Kirk's vitals. As soon as he heard Spock, he shook himself back into reality and stood up to meet the Vulcan.

"Tell me you have some good news." McCoy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"The shape-shifter has provided me with valuable information regarding the whereabouts of his home planet." Spock had to suppress a smile as he spoke.

"How do you know you can trust him?" McCoy asked skeptically.

"My methods of persuasion ensured his candor." Spock said plainly and McCoy raised an eyebrow in response.

" _Christ_." McCoy mumbled under his breath as he turned his head slightly to look back the vital's screen. "I don't want to know." He shook his head as he watched Kirk's chest rise and fall rhythmically. "I suppose you want me to wake him up now?"

"That would be the next matter at hand..." Spock said, turning his attention to the slumbering Captain.

"I wish I could let him rest more," McCoy sighed heavily as began to adjust the IV attached to Kirk's arm.

"It is for the best, Doctor. The Captain can rest more after everything is sorted out, and in a proper facility." Spock reassured him.

"Yeah, yeah." McCoy continued to sigh as he set the IV back down and Kirk began to stir. His weak limbs shifted slowly, and as the minutes passed, his fingers began to twitch and his eyelids fluttered.

"'ones?" Kirk's voice slurred as his eyelids sluggishly opened.

"I'm here, Jim." McCoy cooed as he watched over him.

"'sit time to get movin'?" Kirk asked, attempting to sit up slightly, then remembering the pain that came with moving.

"Not moving anything but your trap," McCoy scolded as he glanced up at the Captain's spiking vitals.

"You're a cruel man, Bones." Kirk laughed slightly as he rested his head comfortably back on the pillows. His eyes closed again as the slight smile remained on his face.

"Jim, as much as I wish you could, you can't go back to sleep just yet. Do you remember that message that you were going to record?" McCoy pressed.

"Oh yeah," Kirk started to clear the haze of his drug-induced stupor.

"Spock's here to have you record that now." McCoy continued, watching Kirk carefully as he shifted to sit up again.

"If you are ready, Captain." Spock added, clutching onto his PADD nervously.

"Yeah," Kirk groaned as he pulled himself up into a more seated position. "Let's do it." Spock walked slowly over to Kirk and handed him the PADD, pressing the button to record for him as soon as it was comfortably rested in Kirk's weak fingers. "Attention Starfleet," Kirk started, then cleared his throat. "This is Captain James Tiberius Kirk speaking. I'm not actually dead. Surprise!" He stopped and laughed weakly. "There are some people out there that want me dead - and all of you too. If you're still conscious right now and aren't rolling all over the floor covering your ears, that must mean that you're one of the good guys. The blue shapshifters that you see drooling on the floor now? They're part of an organization that wants Starfleet disemboweled. Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like such a good thing to me. They've been gathering right under our noses. If you find one of these shifters, get security _immediately."_ Kirk paused. "I know things are a little hard to believe, but I need everyone to trust me right now." He paused again. "Kirk out." He finished and Spock gently took the PADD from his hands. The fatigue was already setting back into the Captain's eyes.

"Alright, Jim. Let's get you back to sleep." McCoy reached for the IV, but Kirk interrupted him.

"Wait," Kirk said, stopping Spock from walking right back out of the room. "Did you find out anything from those blue bastards?"

"Indeed, Captain." Spock turned back around respectably. "I have acquired the location of their home planet."

"Good," Kirk breathed as he eased himself back into the pillows. "Let's go stick it to 'em."

"Perhaps once you've gotten some more rest, Captain." Spock said and a small smile spread across Kirk's face.

"Whatever you say," Kirk sighed and McCoy released the drugs back into his system, knocking him out cold once again.

"Good luck up there, Spock." McCoy said quietly before Spock could walk through the door.

"Thank you, Doctor." Spock nodded politely and took his leave. He made his way back up to the bridge and handed the PADD off to Chekov.

"Ensign," Spock started as he sat down awkwardly in the Captain's chair. "Plot a course for Earth."

"Yes sir," Chekov put the PADD down next to him and let his fingers fly across the keys. Spock sighed as he watched the whiz kid, then leaned over and opened a ship-wide channel.

"This is acting captain Spock," Spock cleared his throat. "Our ship is currently on course to Earth where we are likely to experience hostility from Starfleet. Everyone to their stations and prepare for an attack. Spock out." Spock finished and glanced over at Uhura, who was walking to his side. She gently rested her hand on top of his and he could feel her thoughts.

 _What are we doing, Spock? How did things get so crazy do fast?_ She wondered, her deep brown eyes looking sorrowfully at him.

 _I do not know._ Spock pushed the thought towards her. _But we will find a way through._ He assured her and she smiled at him.

 _I know we will. We always do._ She smiled and kissed his cheek before making her way back to her station.

"Maximum warp, Mr. Sulu." Spock said firmly as he gripped the edge of the Captain's chair.

"Aye, sir." Sulu pushed the lever forward and the ship jumped into warp speed.

Spock took in a deep breath. They were flying directly into the most heavily fortified Starfleet base. It was by most accounts a suicide mission. But, this is what Kirk had said to do. He trusted the Captain, even though he seldom took the logical way out. He sucked in another deep breath as he waited for the ship to jump out of warp and be surrounded by the Federation guards.

/

 _Loooooong time no update. Sorry about that. In all honesty, I hit a rut with this story. I didn't want to finish it. I think that I owe it to you all to power through and do the best I can. Sorry if the story's not so great from here on out, but at least it'll get finished._

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	21. Chapter 21

"Dropping out of warp in ten seconds, Commander." Sulu said, trying to mask his concern with a stern expression. His fingers wrapped nervously around the lever in front of him.

"Put up the shields." Spock commanded, then turned to Uhura. "Lieutenant, please upload the message from the captain and the frequency and relay it on every available channel."

Uhura nodded in response and turned back to her station, her face frozen in a state of concentration as she got to work.

"Prepare for immediate impact and hostility." Spock gritted his teeth and gripped the side of the chair. The ship dropped out of warp and Earth was in sight. A few scattered patrols lined the space between them and the entire crew sucked in a deep breath in suspense. "Now, Nyota." Spock said sternly, sweat threatening to bead on his forehead as he watched the patrols draw nearer. "Hold position," Spock said firmly as the incoming vessels didn't let up speed. Spock's grip around the armrest was unrelenting as he watched the screen, waiting for the warning that they were firing on the already damaged ship. Suddenly, the ships stopped dead in front of them, well withing firing range, but there was no phaser blast or torpedoes.

"Spock, we're being hailed." Uhura said over her shoulder, still monitoring her station.

"Put it on screen, Nyota." Spock said plainly, breathing in relief as the ships remained stalled in front of them. The field of space on the large screen was partially interrupted by a young woman's face appearing from inside a Federation vessel.

"Commander Spock?" She asked, her face crinkling in confusion. "You mind explaining just what the hell is going on here?"

"Gladly," Spock stood up and folded his hands neatly behind his back. He cleared his throat and gave her a brief summary of everything from Kirk's 'death' to the discovery of the planet's origin. "Regretfully, I am unable to provide the full report of the occurrence at this time, as there are more pressing matters that myself and the crew at this time."

"Right," The officer said after a brief pause, trying to get herself to soak in everything that she just heard. She sighed heavily and shook her head. "I didn't know what to think when my first officer turned into a writhing blue beast when that frequency went off," She paused and bit her lip. "And in all fairness, Mr. Spock, I don't know what to think now. I don't know that I can trust you." She shrugged, a frown tugging on her lips.

"What can be done so that your trust in the crew of this vessel is restored?" Spock asked plainly, already fearing he knew the answer.

"Well," She paused again, biting her lip. "Normally I would bring you all in and have each and everyone one of you interrogated," She stopped and sighed heavily. "But if anything you said is even remotely true, then we don't have that kind of time to waste." Spock breathed quietly in relief. "Show me Captain Kirk." She said firmly and Spock's muscles tightened. "He seemed rough in the message, but if I'm going to believe you, I'm going to need to see him with my own eyes."

The entire bridge held its breath. Spock retained his stoic expression as he fidgeted slightly with his clasped hands.

"Very well." He said, after a long pause. "I will contact you via your PADD in a few minutes."

"Good. We don't have any time to waste." She said firmly and the screen faded back to the stars and the ships fixated on them.

"Spock," Uhura said quietly, reaching out to Spock, who was frozen in his spot. "What's wrong?" She asked, and he was suddenly shaken from his trance. He started towards the elevator, gaining speed and strength with every step. Uhura followed, hot on his heels, reaching out to grab his arm. "Spock!" She hissed and the elevator doors slid shut. "What's going on?" She pleaded, taking his arm in hers. "Talk to me."

Spock stared at the door for a moment, then he turned to Uhura, his eyes sullen and tired. She was taken aback by the sudden change in expression, and she reached a hand towards his face. He quickly turned his head back to face the door, dodging her tender touch. "It occurred to me that perhaps the shape-shifters are not the only ones seeking to destroy Captain Kirk." Spock said stiffly.

"What do you mean?" Uhura asked gently, pulling him closer to her.

"It is not unlikely that someone of influence allowed the shape-shifters access into the ranks of Starfleet." Spock said, and Uhura bit her lip. "If that is the case, it will be impossible to differentiate the trustworthy from the traitor." Spock started, and Uhura pressed a button on the panel. The elevator slowed to a stop and the door remained closed. Uhura slipped her hands into his and moved to face him.

"Spock," She cooed, her big brown eyes swimming with sympathy. "You're afraid," Spock's lips parted to protest, but she continued. "And that's okay. In all honesty, we _don't_ know who's friend or foe," She brushed her fingers against his hands. "But I know who I trust. You. I know that no matter what, you'll get us through this." She smiled softly. "It doesn't matter what you think could happen, it only matters that you'll be able to take care of what _does_ happen. And I know that you can." Spock dropped his gaze from her eyes. "The question is, do _you_ think you can?"

"Considering the circumstances, our survival and reestablishment with Starfleet Command is highly unlikely-" Spock started, but Uhura squeezed his hands slightly.

"Now who would go off on you for telling me the odds right now?" She asked and Spock's gaze dropped again.

"I believe that you are referring to Jim." Spock gave the Vulcan equivalent of a sigh.

"And what would Jim do in this situation?" Uhura asked.

"He would prepare for the worst in secret." Spock said firmly, picking up his head again. Uhura could practically see the plan formulating in his head. "And he would not allow the possible enemy to see his weakness."

"Now you're thinking like a captain and less like a Vulcan," Uhura smiled and Spock kissed her gently. "Now," She smiled, her face still pressed close to his. "We've got a galactic federation to save."

/

"Dear God," McCoy mumbled to himself as Uhura and Spock walked briskly through the door to Kirk's private room. "Don't tell me," He grumbled and stood up.

"We need to wake the Captain." Spock interrupted him and stopped by Kirk's bedside.

"Of _course_ you do." McCoy muttered as he crossed his arms across his chest. "And what for now?"

"We need to prove that he is alive in order to pass through Earth's airspace." Spock said firmly and McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Can't anything just go _without_ complications for once?" He muttered as he adjusted the IV by Kirk's bedside.

Uhura and Spock watched Kirk's chest rise and fall rhythmically, and they both had a sense of relief and solemnity. "He should come to in a minute or two," McCoy plopped back down in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. Spock picked up the PADD from Kirk's nightstand and handed it off to Uhura, who immediately got to work.

"'ones?" Kirk asked groggily, shifting slightly in his bed. "wha the shit?" He asked, closing his eyes tightly as he remembered the pain in his chest.

"Captain Kirk," The Federation Captain's voice came to life over the PADD in Uhura's hands.

"Wha-" Kirk asked, rubbing his eye groggily as Uhura gingerly handed him the PADD. He fumbled with it until his partially numb fingers curled around the edges.

"It's a pleasure to see you alive." The young woman smiled as Kirk struggled to sit up slightly.

"Paula? Oh shit." Kirk smiled slightly as he tried to prop himself up on the pillows. "Good to see you, too." The rest of the crew looked around at each other in bewilderment. "Last time I saw you in bed, things were a little different, huh?" Kirk chuckled painfully and McCoy pinched his nose in frustration.

"Captain, please keep things professional." The young woman said strictly with thinly veiled embarrassment.

"How the hell have you been?" He asked, wincing as he tried to sit up straighter.

"Better than you, I suppose." She laughed nervously. "Now, you crew has laid out some pretty serious allegations. They have any truth to them?"

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Kirk laughed weakly.

"Barely, from what I understand." She sighed. "You and your crew need to get on your way and stop these jackasses. If there's anything that I can do to help, let me know." She said sincerely.

"Will do," Kirk responded and Spock breathed a small sigh of relief. "Actually," A smile spread across Kirk's lips and McCoy shook his head. "There is _one_ thing you could do..."

/

 _Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry that it took so long to update *again*. I promise though, I'm planning on finishing this story sooner or later- for better or for worse. Stay tuned for more!  
-buckminsterbarnes_


	22. Chapter 22

"Oh my god," Malia's eyes went wide as the city came into view through the windows of the shuttle. The rest of the expatriates rushed to the windows to look out onto the chaotic city below. Malia's jaw dropped as she watched the beings of all species pushing past one another and screaming, the Starfleet riot guards trying desperately trying to reign in the crowd.

"Yeah, it's a mess down there." The Starfleet guard driving the shuttle sighed heavily, flipping the switches on his panel and lowering the ship towards the city. "But you'll be safe in the refugee camp. I promise."

"Thank you, sir." Malia and Aavarak shared hopeful glances.

"Hey, don't thank me." He chuckled and guided the ship into the large hangar. "Thank Captain Kirk. He's the one that told my boss to pick you guys up."

"I do thank Kirk. Every moment that I'm free." Malia smiled warmly. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

"Kirk makes his rounds," The guard unbuckled as the ship came to a halt inside the hangar. "I owe him my life too, you know. He came to my home planet once. A massive meteor threatened my home and everyone that lived on it, but Kirk and his crew were there to evacuate us. He pulled me aside and convinced me to join Starfleet, once we were all safe and sound. I wouldn't be where I am today without him." The guard paused for a second, remembering fondly. "I still see him every once in a while. We go out and get drinks sometimes. From what I hear, Kirk tries to keep tabs on everyone he helps."

"What about what's happening with Starfleet right now? Is he going to be okay?" Malia asked, visions of Kirk's burns flashing in her head.

"With as many enemies as Kirk has, he's got no shortage of allies. With every person that wants him dead, there's twenty that'll lay down their lives to save him. I'm no exception." The guard opened the pressurized doors and ushered the refugees out. "Right now it's my job to get you to safety, because that's what he wanted me to do."

"What about us?" Malia asked, Aavarak standing quietly behind her. "What can we do to help?"

"Right now?" The guard asked. "I think right now we need to do everything that we can to make these streets safe. But that also means getting you to safety, so..." The guard motioned for them to leave, but Malia simply crossed her arms across her chest.

"You said Kirk has allies?" Malia asked, an idea already taking shape in her mind.

"All over the place," The guard crossed his arms across his chest.

"Then maybe it's time we unite them."

/

"You sure you're up for this, Jim?" McCoy asked as Kirk stared at the wheelchair with determination.

"Yeah," He huffed and a pained smile spread across his lips. "They need me in that chair, Bones."

"You know you won't be going anywhere _but_ that chair when you get up, right?" McCoy pried, crossing his arms across his chest. A small pang of pain shot through his shoulder as he did so. He frowned as he remembered the phaser blast and the small scar that it had left after he used the dermal regenerator.

"Right, Bones. I already know you're going to be on my ass- I mean with me the whole time." Kirk smirked as he started to shift himself towards the chair.

"You're damn straight, I will be." McCoy mumbled as he watched Kirk's vitals spike with the movement. "And at this rate, you won't be up for long."

"That's okay," Kirk sighed. "I just need to make an appearance, boost the morale." His eyes remained fixed on the wheelchair.

"Alright," McCoy sighed heavily as he pushed the chair closer to Kirk's bedside. "But before we get you situated, I'm going to need you to promise me some things."

"Hey, I didn't know there'd be terms and conditions with this," Kirk laughed weakly.

"Kid, there's always terms and conditions." McCoy said, a slight smile forming across his lips. He quickly forced it away and held up his finger. "Number one, you will not go anywhere without me."

"I've got a feeling that the rest of your rules will make sure that won't happen..." Kirk smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Two, you will not stand up or move too much without my explicit permission." McCoy said firmly, holding up another finger.

"What if I have to sneeze?" Kirk asked smugly.

"Then I will hypo you like there's no tomorrow." McCoy raised his chin. "Three," He lifted a third finger. "You will tell me when you need to go back. If you're feeling even _slightly_ out of it, you need to let me know. No ifs, ands, or buts."

"Is that it?" Kirk asked, still staring down the wheelchair.

"Yeah, that's it. What do you say?" McCoy asked, crossing his arms across his chest again.

"Alright, Bones. I accept. Now let's get going." Kirk shifted slightly and McCoy sighed heavily and pressed a firm against his back, helping to lift him into a seated position. Kirk huffed with the effort, but didn't relent as McCoy pushed him up. He swung his feet around the side of the bed slowly and McCoy helped him shift off of the bed and into the awaiting chair. After he was settled, the bags under Kirk's eyes were darker and his movements were more sluggish as he propped his head up on his arm.

"You okay?" McCoy asked, instinctively reaching for his tricorder.

"Yeah, just a little winded." Kirk breathed, rubbing his eyes gently, the motion jostling his sore ribs.

"Remember what you promised me," McCoy warned as he took his place behind the wheelchair, his hands clasping around the grips nervously.

"I remember." Kirk said a little louder this time, his willpower growing with each shaky breath he took.

McCoy sighed and pushed the wheelchair forward slowly, monitoring Kirk's body language closely. As they pushed through the doors to the private room, the entire bustling medbay suddenly went silent. Every patient, every nurse, and every officer stopped to watch McCoy push their beloved Captain through the room. McCoy had to suppress a smile as he watched Kirk sit up straighter, and he just knew that Kirk was bearing the same smirk that he always did in front of the crew. The entirety of the room seemed to smile back at him with the same warmth. McCoy pushed forward, and Kirk slumped forward slightly as soon as they were out of view.

"You doing alright, Jim?" McCoy asked and Kirk nodded his head slightly.

"Just a little tired." Kirk responded quietly.

"You have to let me know if you're ready to go back," McCoy pressed and Kirk waved his hand dismissively.

"Hopefully, everything's going to go right and I won't have to be up there long," He breathed as they entered the elevator.

 _Jim, with your luck, we're going to be incinerated on sight,_ McCoy thought, but kept himself from saying out loud as he punched in the bridge instruction for the elevator.

"Captain Kirk," Spock greeted them at the door. "It is good to see you mobile." He exchanged a short, but concerned glance with McCoy.

"He won't be up for long," McCoy's lips curled as he pushed Kirk towards the chair. Once again, the whole room seemed to stop and stare at the man with admiration. "You said we're dropping out of warp in a minute or so?" McCoy asked as he helped lift Kirk into the Captain's chair. Spock joined in, and the two men got Kirk situated. The young captain's muscles were weak and he could feel pangs of pain shoot through his chest and back with every breath he took. He rested his head on his hand as he leaned over the panel.

"That is correct, doctor." Spock cleared his throat and said, as he gave McCoy another concerned glance.

"Good. If all goes well, we'll be out of your hair in five minutes, tops." McCoy pushed the wheelchair out of the way and stood by the captain's chair, watching Kirk's movements carefully through his peripheral vision.

"Affirmative." Spock held his tongue and reluctantly returned to his station.

"Mr. Sulu," Kirk finally mustered the energy to speak up. "What's the status on our weapon's systems?"

"We're at 76 percent capacity, Captain." Sulu said, checking up on his instruments.

"You think that's enough to give them a show?" Kirk asked, shifting slightly in the chair and wincing in pain.

"What exactly are you planning to achieve, Captain?" Spock asked, turning around from his station and raising a curious eyebrow.

"I've got a feeling in my gut that they're going to try something stupid," Kirk sighed. "So if that happens, I need you to try and bust what ever shield they'll have up. Then, Uhura, I'll need you to blast that frequency until we get some cooperation."

"Aye, Captain." Uhura turned around to prep the frequency once again.

"Jim," McCoy whispered. "What exactly do you think they're planning?"

"Don't know for sure," Kirk sighed. "But I know it's not going to be good."

"Dropping out of warp in thirty seconds," Sulu said sharply.

"Raise shields," Kirk commanded, gripping the edge of the armrest. McCoy pushed the seatbelt button and the belt unfurled over Kirk's shoulders and latched him in. "Thanks, Bones." Kirk chuckled quietly.

The ship lurched to a stop, and McCoy had to grab onto the chair to keep himself from flying forward. A quaint little planet came into view on the screen, the deep purple color of the clouds swirling around the atmosphere.

"Uhura, hail them on whatever frequency you can find." Kirk ordered as he undid the seatbelt and McCoy frowned.

"They're jamming our signals, Captain." Uhura said quickly and Kirk sucked in a deep and painful breath.

"You were correct in your earlier assumption about their usage of a shield, Captain." Spock chimed in.

"Alright," Kirk cursed under his breath. "Sulu, on my signal, prepare to hit the planet with an ion torpedo. See if we can shake loose a response." Kirk paused and looked at the screen carefully. "One, two," Before he could reach three, he felt the familiar buzz of a transporter sucking him off his ship.

"Jim!" McCoy cried out desperately.

The entire crew sat in stunned silence and the once again vacant captain's chair.

"Shit." McCoy mumbled under his breath.

/

 _Thanks for sticking around and reading more! I'll keep updating, but it's going to be slow going from here on out... If you've got the time, feel free to write a review. I love getting feedback! As always, thanks for reading, and there's more to come!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	23. Chapter 23

"Goddammit!" McCoy shouted as the entire Enterprise crew fell into a flurry of blaring alarms and red lights. "Where the hell did he go?" McCoy asked breathlessly, his hand curling tightly around the arm of the captain's chair.

"It is likely that the leader of the planet has taken the Captain hostage," Spock said with thinly veiled concern.

"Well, _how the hell did that happen_?" McCoy hissed and Spock turned back to his station to investigate.

"We have clearly underestimated the advancements of this culture." Spock stated plainly as the readings from the planet spiked off the chart. "Our shields should be impervious to a transporter's capabilities, however it seems they have discovered a way to penetrate it."

"You don't fucking say," McCoy growled. "How the hell do we get him back?" He asked, seething with anger as he watched the purple clouds on the planet swirling around.

"Unclear." Spock said quietly, reading and rereading the data the computer spat out at him.

"Come again?" McCoy asked harshly.

"The shields and interference the planet is putting out is disabling our transporter capabilities. I will check with Mr. Scott to be certain, but-" Spock started, but McCoy quickly interrupted.

"Do that." He snapped and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Goddammit, Jim._ He thought, amidst the chaos. _Nothing's ever easy with you, is it?_

/

Kirk's particles realigned themselves on the planet's surface, and he found himself sitting comfortably on a plush couch. As soon as he could move, he shifted painfully, taking in his new surroundings.

"What the hell?" He whispered as he glanced around at the ornate paintings of blue shape-shifters decorating the walls. A bright green fire flickered in the red stone fireplace across from him. Purple tinted light poured in from the large window to the side of the room.

"Ah, Captain Kirk." A blue shape-shifter appeared in the doorway, his scaley body covered up by a freshly pressed white uniform that reminded Kirk of the archaic military uniforms from Earth's history. "Are you comfortable?" He asked as he waltzed gracefully into the room.

"I would be lot more comfortable if I had my phaser in my hand." Kirk scoffed and shifted slightly, looking around inconspicuously for an exit.

"Understandably so, Captain." The alien chuckled. "However, I must make it clear to you that I mean you no harm."

"Really?" Kirk asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The alien cracked a small smile and picked up two glasses from the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Of course, my people set out to kill you, but things didn't really go as planned, did they?" The alien poured a clear liquid from the crystal container into each of the glasses and handed one to Kirk. Kirk reluctantly accepted it, but didn't press it to his lips as the alien did.

"Well, you know the best laid plans of mice and men go often askew," Kirk scoffed as he swirled the liquid around in the glass. His head throbbed and he secretly wished that the liquid would take the edge off, but he knew what McCoy would say.

"Ah, yes. I see you are no stranger to great literary works," The alien smiled pretentiously and sat down in an armchair near Kirk, taking another sip from his glass. "That makes my job all the easier." The alien smiled gently and Kirk remained stone-faced, but his mind was racing. "Captain Kirk, we don't do this often, but we would like to offer you a position here in our organization." Kirk's stomach dropped with the words. He suddenly felt like throwing up, his head spinning, his muscles weakening.

"You _what_?" He asked, struggling to keep his eyes focused on the alien.

"Captain, you have somehow managed to outsmart each and every one of our agents that have been chasing you down. This is no easy feat. We could use your wit and intelligence here." The alien crossed his leg over the other and looked at Kirk expectantly.

"And what exactly would _I_ get out of this?" Kirk asked, trying to mask the pain on his face.

"Besides a comfortable and well-paying position on this wonderful planet, we also have many other benefits." The alien started, waving his hand around for emphasis. "But what I think you really want is power. The power to do the right thing and save countless future generations. That's what we're offering you here." His eyes had a gleeful glint as he explained himself.

"Now, hang on just a second," Kirk winced and strained himself to put the glass back on the table. "What the hell do you guys actually do here? Because, the way I see it, you're a bunch of murders on a hopeless crusade."

"I'm disappointed that we have projected ourselves in that light," The alien seemed truly hurt by Kirk's words. "Captain, our mission is anything but a hopeless crusade. Already we have embedded ourselves into hundreds of civilizations and prevented events of catastrophic caliber," The alien leaned towards Kirk, resting his glass between his hands. "We have witness the trials and tribulations of organizations not unlike your own Starfleet. Surely you remember the incident with Admiral Marcus?" The alien asked and Kirk's mind went into overload. Memories of the destruction of his ship, the city, and his own death played like movies in his head, each crisp and clear, each playing over the others. "That kind of event is exactly what we aim to prevent." Kirk struggled to pull himself from out of the trance as the alien continued. "We have been successful in many regards. Perhaps you've heard of the fall of the pre-Klingon empire of the Tafik? Their ruler was a merciless tyrant who was the cause of destruction for many surrounding systems. Our organization stepped in and prevented him from toppling any more cultures. You have, by chance, learned that he was found, poisoned by one of his successors. This was our doing, Captain. This is only one of hundreds of examples."

"So, I guess the only question I have now is why?" Kirk asked after he caught his breath again. "You guys just do this out of the goodness of your hearts? I had a little chat with one of your officers. He claimed that you were the 'superior' race. The race that knows best? Now how the hell can you justify that? And don't give me that bullshit about all of the people you've saved," Kirk's anger boiled. "Think about all of the people that you've killed. All of the innocent lives you've taken. And for what? For _progress_?" Kirk asked, his reserve growing stronger with every word he spoke.

"Perhaps you are familiar with the archaic expression 'to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs'," The alien spoke softly. "The price of a new world and of progress towards a more advanced civilization requires just that, Captain. You are only seeing a small part of the picture, with the people you speak about. You must think about the future generations. The ones that will live in a world free of the mistakes that could have been easily preventable."

"So what gives you the right to play God, huh?" Kirk asked, seething with anger, gesturing with his hands animatedly as he spoke. "How do you know you're making the right decision _all_ the time? How do you know that killing innocent people will make everything better in the end? You really want all that blood on your hands?"

"This is about _faith_ , Captain. I believe with all my soul in the mission of my ancestors, and now me. I have faith that the steps that I am taking are the best for the entire universe." The alien pleaded for Kirk's understanding.

 _Kind of an asshole-y thing to say,_ Kirk had to keep himself from saying. "If there's one thing in this life that I've learned, it's that you can't just follow someone blindly. They've got to earn that trust. And what have your ancestors done that has made them deserving of your blind, servile attitude? Think about all the pain they've caused. It doesn't have to be that way. You do what you can for the world. You make the difference _you_ can make. You let others do the same. That's how the world works. You don't have to play God and make it so that everyone will eventually live in a world where the pain lasts no longer. Pain is what makes you stronger. Pain is what drives you to do good in the world. Sure, it sucks to land face-down in the dirt, but that's when you learn to get back up. This world you're talking about creating - that isn't paradise. A world with no mistakes, _is_ a mistake. Sure, things with free-will are bound to make the wrong decisions. They're bound to hurt someone. But that's how we grow. That's how we _have_ grown. And when I look at my crew, and how far each and every one of them have come by the choices they've made, _that's_ progress. Not a world without errors. A world where we are free to make our _own_ errors." Kirk concluded, his speech nearly sapping all of the energy from his body.

"I can't say that I'm not disappointed, Captain." The alien sighed after a long silence. "I was hoping to make all of this easy. I was rooting for you. I really was. How unfortunate now that you've chosen the wrong path, you and your crew must all die." The alien stood up quickly and whipped a phaser from his belt, then pointed it directly at Kirk's forehead.

/

 _Yay! Another chapter! This one had a LOT of talking... but I promise that there's plenty of action to come. Thanks for sticking around, and I hope you enjoyed the story so far! Remember, feedback is always welcomed! Hope you stick around for more updates to come!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	24. Chapter 24

_Shit_. That was the only word going through Kirk's swirling head. _Shit, shit, shit._ He thought as he stared down the barrel of the shape-shifter's phaser. _Think, Jim, think._ He attempted to pull himself from out of his drug-induced trance. He instinctively reached down for his phaser, but remembered that McCoy had made sure that his weapon didn't leave the medbay. _'I'll be at your side the whole time' he said. 'You won't need it' he said._ Kirk mocked McCoy in his mind. _Bullshit, Bones._ Kirk scoffed in his head. His hand rested on the slender package of his communicator. _Guess this'll have to do._ Kirk sighed to himself and whipped the communicator from his belt.

"Not so fast," Kirk snarled, pointing the communicator directly at the shape-shifter. The alien cowered slightly at the gesture, but regained his composure when he saw that it was only a communicator.

"Oh, Captain." The alien clicked its scaly tongue. "It's so sad to see you in this state."

"What state? The state of shifting the power?" Kirk said, and immediately realized the ridiculousness of it. He stood up slowly, but determinedly. His legs wobbled and threatened to give out from underneath him and the nausea in his stomach grew.

"Captain, you _do_ realize that that is a _communicator_ and not a phaser, correct?" The alien said, almost sympathetically, as Kirk struggled to stay upright.

"You sure about that?" Kirk asked, still pointing the communicator at the alien. "Maybe you didn't read it in my file, but I'm no stranger to making modifications." Kirk took a shaky step forward. The alien flinched slightly at the movement.

"It is impossible to modify a communicator to double as a weapon," The alien took a tiny step backwards, his voice cracking with hints of insecurity.

"You don't know what's possible," Kirk said coldly, stepping again towards the alien. "Remember that ship that I took to wipe out your base? Didn't think _that_ was possible, did you? Didn't think that it was possible for me to outsmart you _every single time that we've been matched up_?" Kirk narrowed his bloodshot eyes at him. "You want to rethink pointing that phaser at me?" Kirk growled and the alien hesitated, then slowly raised his hands in defeat. "Good choice." Kirk smiled, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Now hand over the phaser." He demanded and the alien slowly lowered his hand with the phaser in it.

"You're making a mistake, Captain." The alien said, trying not to sound shaken.

"I'm not the one that beamed me directly onto their home base." Kirk said coldly and the alien shuddered slightly, cowering at Kirk's words. "Now, I've got some business to take care of. You will not follow me. And you will not send for reinforcements." Kirk continued, staring down the alien.

"Y-yes," The alien stammered as Kirk snatched the phaser from his hand.

"Good." Kirk said firmly, then, with lightning speed, he stunned the alien with his own phaser and his unconscious body collapsed onto the couch. "Superior race my _ass._ " Kirk scoffed as he looked at the slumbering alien. "It's just a fucking communicator." He chuckled to himself. He took a small step forward, then almost toppled to the floor with the motion. His vision swam as he reached out to the couch to steady himself. He barely managed to catch his breath as he held himself up on the side of the couch. He flipped his communicator open and took a deep breath. "Kirk to Enterprise," He breathed, but was met with only static. He cursed under his breath as he adjusted the dials, praying that he could get through to his ship. "Kirk to Enterprise," He said forcibly, but still received only static in return.

He cursed quietly and slipped the communicator back into his belt. _Guess I've got to do this on my own._ He sighed and pushed himself off the side of the couch. His vision clouded and his world threatened to go dark, but he fought back the waves of dizziness and nausea and readied his phaser. _Onward and upward._ He thought as he moved towards the large door.

 _Alright, mental checklist time._ He tried to distract himself from the pain that came with every step. _Do I know where I'm going? No. Some communication station, hopefully?_ He trudged forward. _Will there be guards everywhere? Most likely_. He sighed to himself as he came up to the door. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, then kicked the double doors open hard. He heard a loud thud from both sides and he readied his phaser. Two disoriented guards appeared from behind the doors, holding their heads. Before they had time to register what was going on, Kirk had already hit them with a phaser blast each.

 _Next._ He thought to himself as he looked down both stretches of the long, marble hallways. _Which way?_ He looked to his left, then to his right. He couldn't seem to find any sort of difference between the two hallways. _Right. Because I want to go the **right**_ _way._ He chuckled to himself as he started towards his right.

The hallway lights seemed to grow dimmer with every half-step he took. His head was pulsing now, each beat of his heart making him dizzier than he thought possible. He slowly staggered towards the wall, bracing himself up by his shoulder and leaning heavily against it.

 _It's not that far now,_ He told himself as he tried to push away the darkness tugging at the edges of his vision. _Bones and Spock need you. The Enterprise needs you. You can't stop now._ He willed himself forward, gritting his teeth as he went. _You can't._ He thought hard as he closed his eyes shut tightly and took another step. _You... can't._ His legs wobbled out from under him, his body hitting the floor with a loud thud, but he didn't notice. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

/

"Mr. Scott has confirmed my assumption regarding the transporter capabilities." Spock swallowed, trying to keep his heart from racing.

"Well, _now what_?" McCoy threw his hands out to the side dramatically. "We can't just _leave_ him down there! He'll die! If he's not dead already!" He yelled, and Spock opened his mouth to speak.

"Leonard," Uhura said soothingly before Spock could push out any words. "Spock is doing the best that he can, considering. You won't blame this on him." She said, her tone almost warning him to test her. McCoy stared at her for a second, but his anger melted away into a worried glance, his eyes pleading for a solution. His face quickly tightened again into the same angry expression, the wounded look disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

"We need to do _something._ " McCoy snarled. His mind was reeling. He knew that he should offer some suggestion, but he had nothing to give. _That was always Jim's job,_ He thought to himself, his eyes threatening to well up with sadness again.

"Scotty to the bridge!" Scotty's voice came over the intercom and interrupted the tension.

"What is it, Mr. Scott?" Spock asked, breathing a tiny sigh of relief, a small shred of hope growing in his chest.

"I think I've got an idea." He called back over the intercom, his accent growing thicker with the excitement. "Meet me in the cargo bay!" Spock and McCoy shared a confused glance and raced one another to the elevator.

"What the hell do you think he's got in mind?" McCoy asked as the doors shut behind them.

"I do not know." Spock responded quietly, the wheels in his head turning quickly. McCoy stared at the closed doors, his mind racing as well.

The elevator doors slid open and the two men were barely able to contain themselves. They stepped out into the cargo bay to see Scotty leaning against his and Kirk's prototype ship. Spock and McCoy trotted up to meet him and Scotty patted the side of the ship.

"She's a beautiful lady, eh?" Scotty smiled as he admired the ship, which still had some scratches running down the bottom of it from McCoy and Kirk's rocky landing.

"Are you suggesting that we go down to the planet in this ship?" Spock asked, furrowing his brow.

"I am," Scotty pushed off from the ship and motioned to the door. "With a security team, of course."

McCoy had to hold back the _Fuck no_. On his lips as he stared at the ship.

"How can we be sure that it can penetrate the planet's shield?" Spock asked, folding his arms neatly behind his back.

"Because it's done it before." McCoy swallowed and his blood turned to steel. "Let's go." He narrowed his eyes and boarded the ship. Spock hesitantly followed after one last look at the ship.

"Mr. Scotty, please call down a security team." Spock ordered as he stepped aboard.

"Aye, Commander." Scotty nodded and dashed to the intercom station.

Spock analyzed the interior of the ship as he walked in, McCoy already strapped down to his seat, the flask of whiskey in his hands.

"This is most impressive," Spock raised an eyebrow as he continued to look around.

"This is what happens when you let two mad scientists work together." McCoy scoffed as Spock took the Captain's seat.

"Are you quite certain that the ship will be able to penetrate the planet's shield?" Spock asked as he strapped himself in.

"Spock, I'm only certain of a few things in my life. One, James Tiberius Kirk is a pain in my ass that always manages to give me ulcers. Two, alcohol is the only reason that I can tolerate most of the things in my life, and three, you're always going to spit out numbers and data instead of saying something _remotely_ empathetic." McCoy took a swig of the whiskey. "So no, that doesn't make the list. But it's the best chance we've got to save Jim."

"Very well." Spock took the controls of the ship.

"Jim, we're coming for you." McCoy whispered as he began to think about what Kirk could possibly be going through at that very moment. "Hang on."

/

 _So, we are nearing the end of the story! We'll see how it goes, but I only think that there's going to be three-four more chapters from here, maybe less. Be sure to stick around for the end! Thanks for reading, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated. :)_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	25. Chapter 25

"This is going to be a rocky ride." McCoy turned to the security officer sitting next to him and took a swig from his flask of whiskey.

The make-shift crew aboard the prototype ship stared at the planet's purple atmosphere churning and swirling before them, coming closer with every second.

"You all set in there?" Uhura's voice piped up from the ship's communication system.

"Affirmative, Uhura." Spock said firmly, his hands locked tightly on the ship's controls. He sat rigidly, trying to mask his concerns about the situation.

"You are around sixtween hundred kilometers from zhe planet," Chekov's voice came next from the speakers. "You should be experiencing some of zhe effects of zhe planet's grawity." He continued, and as he spoke, the ship rocked slightly. McCoy's fist tightened around the flask.

"Donnae worry, Commander, the ship should be able to handle the changes in the planet's atmospheric decay," Scotty's voice said.

" _Should,_ " McCoy scoffed quietly and the security officer next to him looked at him with a horrified expression.

"Be careful down there," Uhura's concerned voice returned. "You don't know what kind of opposition you'll get down there, and we won't be able to help you once you get past that shield," She warned.

"Please alert Mr. Scott to lock on to our communicator's signals once we disable the shields." Spock said as the planet drew closer and the ride became less and less steady.

"Understood," Scotty chimed in.

"Be careful, Spock." Uhura persisted.

"I'll make sure he doesn't make any _illogical_ decisions." McCoy grumbled, taking another swig from the flask.

"And I, in turn, will make sure that Doctor McCoy has no more to drink." Spock said sharply. "We will be back shortly, Nyota."

"You'd better be." Uhura said softly.

"You are now nearing zhe shield," Chekov's small voice said. "Prepare to loose communication."

"Bring back our Captain," Scotty said firmly.

"We shall." Spock nodded his head and the crew braced for impact.

The ship shook violently as they pushed through the thick barrier between the planet's atmosphere and the space surrounding it. It swallowed them like a thick, enveloping jelly. They pushed through to the other side with a pop, sending the ship jolting with the impact, and the effects of the planet's gravity. The lights inside the ship began to blink rapidly and the ship began plummeting to the ground.

"Spock, what the hell's happening?" McCoy asked, his knuckles white as he gripped the seat belt across his shoulders.

"The ship has lost power," Spock's fingers flew across the various buttons and switches on the control consul.

"Temporarily, I hope?" McCoy asked, his breathing speeding up, heart racing.

"Unclear." Spock mumbled quietly as he continued working.

The ship spiraled downwards, the front catching on fire as they plummeted through the swirling clouds.

"Spock, _do_ something!" McCoy cried out through gritted teeth.

Spock flipped one last switch and the ship suddenly jerked upwards, saving them from impending doom.

"Will that suffice, Doctor?" Spock asked smugly.

McCoy held his tongue and simply grumbled in response, his fingers still gripped tightly around his seat belt.

The planet came into view as they lowered from the swirling clouds that tossed them around slightly. The rich purple ground sprouted assorted buildings and small patches of long, twisted lattices and networks of what appeared to be tree-like structures. Spock lowered the ship directly on top of a patch of the twisting trees, which bent underneath of the weight and put the ship down softly onto the ground.

"Now," Spock unbuckled his seat belt quickly and stood up. "We must travel to the main compound and attempt to shut down the planet's shields."

"What about finding Jim?" McCoy asked, fumbling with his seat belt with sore hands.

"We must first disable the shields if we have any hope of tracking him," Spock said firmly.

"What, you think that those idiots just let him _keep_ his communicator?" McCoy stood up shakily, flask in hand.

"The likelihood of that is minimal, however it will be much easier for the Enterprise to lock on to human heat signatures." Spock raised and eyebrow and slowly took the flask from McCoy's hand and set it gently on the dashboard.

"Right," McCoy said after a brief pause. "Then let's get to it."

/

 _What the fuck?_ Kirk groggily shifted as he started to come back into consciousness. _Where am I?_ He asked himself as he cracked and eye and saw two blue shape-shifters moving quickly towards him. _Ah fuck._ He sat up quickly and painfully, raising his hand, vaguely remembering clutching a phaser in earlier. He quickly stunned the two shape-shifters and they fell on the ground in a heap.

 _Ok, once again, what the fuck?_ He rubbed his head closing his eyes tightly as his brain pulsed in his head. _Oh shit._ Memories of the shape-shifters and their palace came flooding back to him. _Oh, this is **bad**_. He thought as he slowly stood up, bracing his weight against the wall.

 _I have to find that satellite,_ He remembered and slowly took two steps forward, huffing with the effort. _Shit, this is not going well._ He thought as he continued taking small, painful steps forward. _Ok, categorize the injuries,_ He continued to push forward. _Where does it hurt the most? My chest._ _Why? Probably the broken ribs. Ok, second worst? My legs. They're just tired._ He sighed and took three more steps. The two blue aliens lay in front of him, sprawled out on the floor. _Just get to them, then you can take a break._ He pleaded with himself as he looked towards the end of the hallway.

His muscles screamed with the effort of every step. His vision was fading. _Think, Jim._ He thought, head pulsing. _Why are you doing this? For my crew. They need me. All of Starfleet needs me, actually._ He smiled when he thought of it. _I just have to keep moving forward, that's all._ He reminded himself as he pressed ahead.

Suddenly, alarms began to wail all around him. Red lights flashed, only making the pulsing in his head worse. "Shit." He mumbled under his breath. _I've been discovered._

"Attention all personnel," A voice came over the intercom. "We have several intruders from the Starship Enterprise. They have driven a small ship through our planet's shields and are heading towards the town. All personnel to battle stations." The voice blared.

 _Well I'll be damned,_ Kirk smiled. _Those maniacs actually came down here for me. Now's my chance to get to the satellite room while the guards are distracted._ Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he pushed himself off the wall and picked up his pace to a hobbling run. A few aliens on speeders whizzed through the crossroads of the hallways. Kirk raised his phaser and trained it on the hallway, waiting for his opportunity. Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of motion caught his attention. He squeezed the trigger and a bolt fired from his gun and struck the alien on the speeder, stopping the speeder dead in the air.

Kirk raced towards the speeder and quickly mounted it, swinging his painfully sore legs over the side and sitting down on top of it. He revved the engine with his right hand and smiled to himself. _Now we're talking._

 _/_

 _Sorry for the short chapter, but I *did* just update twice in one day... Anyway, I'm not very happy with how this chapter turned out, but I still hope you'll stick around for the end. Again, thanks for reading, and feedback is always appreciated!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	26. Chapter 26

McCoy followed closely behind Spock as they led the rest of the security crew through the thick foliage of the planet. McCoy's hand curled around the handle of his phaser, his medkit dangling freely by his side. _Hang in there, Jim. We're coming for you._ He thought to himself as they continued forward.

Spock stopped suddenly in front, and McCoy nearly ran into him. As McCoy opened his mouth to protest, Spock lifted a hand to silence him, his other hand tightly gripped on the readied phaser. McCoy scanned the braches dangling around him, but saw no signs of movement. As he opened his mouth again, the braches that twisted beneath their feet began to shake.

"Down!" One of the security officers yelled and McCoy immediately trained his phaser on the ground. As he looked below him, he could see hundreds of shape-shifting aliens shuffling beneath them. As soon as he looked down, phaser blasts ripped through the trees and air towards them.

"Towards the buildings! Get clear!" Spock commanded and took off towards where the lattice met the ground. McCoy tripped over himself following the Vulcan, his feet nearly slipping between the branches. Bolts of energy whizzed past his feet as he pumped his legs, trying to keep pace. He raced down the steep incline of the lattice behind Spock, both men panting as they pushed off the last of the branches and onto the solid ground.

"Now what?" McCoy said, breathlessly, watching as the remaining members of the security team caught up to them.

"We must keep moving forward," Spock motioned to the building behind him, his phaser still trained on the twisting branches.

"Where?" McCoy asked, glancing around at the surrounding building complexes.

"There," Spock motioned with his head to the closest doors.

McCoy shrugged and raised his phaser again, pointing it at the closed doors behind the team. He took a few timid steps forward before the security officers broke out in front of him and reached for the door handles. Spock took a few backwards steps, still waiting for the aliens to break free from under the lattice. He watched as the branches shook and the ship was engulfed in the twisted vines.

The security guards swung the doors open, raising their phasers to meet the opposition. A few straggling aliens appeared from behind the door, but were quickly fired down by the officers. McCoy sighed in relief as he lowered his weapon and stepped inside.

"Well I'll be damned," McCoy whistled as he examined the large and elegant halls. "This place isn't half bad."

Spock stepped inside behind him and they quickly swung the doors shut. A few security officers pushed an end table decorated with a floral arrangement in front of the door.

"You think this is the place?" McCoy asked, scanning the halls. He half hoped to find Kirk, but he also knew that if he found him in the hall, he was likely to be dead. He shivered at the thought.

"It is unlikely, but there are perhaps clues to lead us in the correct direction." Spock mused. "However, this _was_ the largest building complex in the area. I am optimistic that there will be some sort of control port here."

"And Jim?" McCoy asked. "You think he's here?"

 _No,_ Spock had to stop himself from saying. "There is a chance." He said carefully instead. "But as we before discussed, it is more logical to find the satellite hub."

"Right." McCoy huffed.

The group headed down the hallway, each member holding up their phaser on high alert. With every doorway that they passed, they awaited an ambush. Adrenaline poured through their veins as they continued on in suspense.

"So, what kind of clues are we looking for here?" McCoy asked, peering into an empty room.

"Perhaps _that._ " Spock took off down the hall as a blue body crumpled on the floor caught his eye. The rest of the crew followed quickly behind him. As he came closer, two bodies came into view. He knelt down beside them and pressed his fingers gently onto their temples.

Spock felt the rush of the alien's memories pushing into his brain and he closed his eyes. He picked carefully through the alien's consciousness and concentrated on bringing it back. He saw the door come rushing towards his face, then scrambling to stand, then a flash of gold. He briefly saw Kirk's face, then he felt the phaser blast hit his chest with expert precision.

"What is it, Spock?" McCoy asked impatiently as Spock's eyes snapped open. "What happened here?" McCoy pressed.

"It seems our Captain found a weapon," Spock had to suppress a smile.

"So," McCoy smiled from ear to ear as a wave of relief passed over him. _Jim's okay_ , he thought. _For now..._ He reminded himself and the frustrated frown returned to his lips. "We follow the bodies and we find Jim." He said stiffly.

"Correct." Spock stood up and brushed off his pants, pulling his phaser up again.

The entire crew jumped in surprise as a furious banging came from the entrance of the building.

"Shit." McCoy huffed under his breath as they swiveled around to meet the adversary. _We're coming, Jim._ McCoy gulped. _If we can make it through ourselves._

/

 _Right, so, uh, now what?_ Kirk furrowed his brow as he stared down at the alien controls of the speeder. _Do any of these actually make this go?_ He asked himself as he revved the engine with his hand around the handlebar. _Well, here goes nothing._ He sighed and pushed on the large green button on the center of the consul, and the speeder shot forward, nearly knocking him off the back. He struggled to get his other hand curled around the handlebar as the speeder raced down the long hallway.

 _Shit shit shit shit._ He thought, wide-eyed, as the end of the hallway approached quickly. He quickly twisted his hands in to the left, yanking on the handlebar. He held his breath as the speeder whizzed around the corner, the side of it scraping along the ground as it took the turn sharply. The speeder squealed in protest as it scratched against the floor.

Kirk quickly pulled his hands in the other direction, pulling the speeder back upright again. He breathed in relief as he moved down the next hallway, but his heart skipped a beat again as he saw armored aliens in his path. They seemed just as surprised to see him, all of them turning around in confusion as they heard the speeder racing down the hall.

Kirk gritted his teeth as the speeder screamed through the hall and the blue beasts barely had time to duck out of the way. A small smile appeared across his face as he move forward, until a phaser bolt ripped through the air and hit him square in the left shoulder.

He toppled off the back of the speeder, his already sore body hitting the floor hard. His eyes snapped shut, the pain nearly ripping the consciousness away from him.

 _Well, fuck._ He gritted his teeth and forced his eyes open to see several shape-shifters standing above him. He hurriedly reached into his pocket with his good arm and raised the phaser to the group, slowly scooting his body backwards as he did.

"Alright, guys. I'm not gonna lie," He said shakily, his head pulsing and his shoulder screaming and burning. "This isn't exactly how things were supposed to go." The phaser in his hand shook violently as he tried to hold it up threateningly.

The aliens looked at one another with a smug expression, then raised weapons of their own. Kirk sucked in a deep breath and counted out the aliens around him. _Ten,_ he realized, mentally cataloging them. _I can take ten._ He pushed the air out of his lungs and fire off the first phaser blast at the alien directly in front of him. Before the aliens could react, Kirk hit one of the alien in the back's gun, setting off an explosion that took out six of the beasts. While the others were distracted by the small explosion, Kirk struck quickly, landing a phaser bolt on each of the alien's chests. The aliens fell together in a lifeless heap and Kirk let out a heavy sigh.

 _Right,_ He forced himself to stand up shakily. _Back to business._ He took a small step forward, but was suddenly stopped by a strong hand that gripped on his shoulder. _Fuck._

Kirk swiveled on his heel quickly and grabbed his assailant's arm, trying to twist it behind them. The blue alien's eyes glimmered as they resisted Kirk's motion and threw an elbow directly into Kirk's nose. Kirk staggered back, feeling the blood flowing freely from his cracked nose. The alien threw his weight at Kirk, but Kirk was barely able to dodge the attack by stepping to the side. He reached down into his pocket and grabbed his phaser, but it was quickly shot out of his hand by the beast.

"Fuck." Kirk swore as he watched the alien, who was gearing up for another attack. "Guess we have to do this the hard way."

/

 _Yay! More story! I've got another chapter in the works already, so this chapter is going to have a follow-up real soon. Thanks for reading, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	27. Chapter 27

Spock's legs pumped quickly underneath him as his feet hit the tiled floor of the hallway. McCoy's breath came short and quick as he barely managed to keep up with the group. _I've got to work out more._ He sighed to himself as he and the crew rounded another corner of the long corridor. They stepped over more cluttered bodies and his heart started beating faster. _Please be okay, Jim. Please._ He pleaded, though he knew his blond-haired captain couldn't hear him.

His heart dropped when he saw the gold uniform laying amidst a pile of bodies. "Jim!" He cried out as he felt a new energy wash through his body. He sprinted to the mass, Spock hot on his heels, his heart beating faster with every stride. "Jim," He knelt down beside him and ripped his tricorder from his belt.

"Bones?" Kirk asked groggily, his eyes opening slowly.

"Jim, it's alright, we're here." McCoy cooed as he pulled wad of cloth from his medkit and wiped the blood from his nose.

"They're everywhere, Bones. We have to get to the satellite room," He tried to sit up, but was knocked back down by the pain.

"Sit still, Jim." McCoy huffed as he scanned Kirk's shoulder. "How the hell did you manage to get even more injured than you were?" McCoy asked in disbelief as the results from the phaser burn beeped on his tricorder.

"Call it dumb luck," Kirk laughed weakly, then fell into a coughing fit.

"Spock, go to the satellite room and call the Enterprise to beam us up. We'll stay here." McCoy ordered.

"No!" Kirk managed between coughs. "I'm coming with."

"No, you most certainly are _not._ " McCoy snapped. "Have you learned _anything_ you idiot?!"

"I guess not," Kirk smiled painfully and sat up slowly. "Let's get going."

"It would be safer to travel in the group," Spock raised an eyebrow.

"And if we just slow you down?" McCoy scoffed.

"It would be more logical to stick together if we were to be ambushed," Spock shrugged slightly. "It is likely that we will be ambushed either way, and it would be more difficult for you and the Captain to defend yourselves from a stationary standpoint, even if I were to leave security officers with you."

"Listen to Spock, Bones." Kirk struggled to stand up, McCoy reluctantly helping him to his feet.

"Fine. But I'm not going to like it." He grumbled as he pulled Kirk's good arm around his shoulder, then wrapped his arm around his waist.

Spock knelt beside one of the bodies and pressed his fingers against its face tactfully.

"How are you feeling, Jim?" McCoy asked, watching as Kirk's face twisted in pain.

"Like shit," Kirk laughed slightly, his eyes fixed on the ground.

"The room is not far from here," Spock stood up quickly and motioned towards the end of the hall.

"Then let's get a move on, already." Kirk said through gritted teeth, taking a step forward. "I've got things to do," He laughed weakly.

/

"This the place?" Kirk asked, staggering alongside McCoy.

"Indeed." Spock nodded, peering into the dark room carefully.

"Thank God," Kirk breathed as McCoy shifted to set him down alongside the wall.

"You go ahead and get that settled, then beam us up when you can," McCoy commanded as he pulled the tricorder from his belt. Spock nodded and disappeared into the room, half of the security team following him cautiously inside. "You doing alright, Jim?" McCoy asked as he waved the tricorder over Kirk.

"Yeah, Bones. I think I just-" Kirk froze, staring down the hallway. "Bones, give me your phaser." He said stiffly, reaching out his hand. McCoy's head snapped in the direction that he was staring, but saw nothing.

"Jim, I-" McCoy started, but was interrupted by Kirk's hand snatching the phaser from his own. The security team that stayed with them stood on high alert, watching the direction that Kirk was staring in.

Suddenly, a faint hum echoed through the long hallway. McCoy squinted his eyes to look further down the tiled corridor and saw a small blob coming towards them. The hum grew into a roar as the shape came closer at an alarming speed. Kirk pushed himself into a standing position against the wall, readying the phaser towards the approaching mass. McCoy scrambled to his feet and stood beside Kirk.

The blob came closer and closer until the crew could make out a speeder ripping through the air towards them. A squealing noise echoed through the hall, and the speeder came to an abrupt stop in front of them. McCoy stared in disbelief as he watched Captain Kirk step shakily off the speed, a phaser in hand, pointed directly at the other Kirk standing beside McCoy.

"Step away from them," The Kirk from the speeder said through bared teeth, his words dripping with poison. His gaze alone could be enough to bring a grown man to his knees. The other Kirk pressed his fingers against the trigger, but it was shot out of his hand by the other Kirk.

"Shoot him!" Kirk commanded his crew, but none of them were sure how to react.

"Don't listen to him," The other Kirk commanded, his phaser still trained on his doppelganger.

"Put the phaser down, or we'll shoot!" One of the security officers yelled and Kirk hesitantly raised his hands in the air.

McCoy's eyes flickered between the two men in confusion. They were identical in every sense, from their apparel to their stance.

"Let's just stun both of them and figure this out later." One of the security officers moved to shoot, but McCoy put up a hand stopping them.

"If you stun the real Kirk, there's a pretty damn good chance that he won't wake up again, with these kinds of injuries." McCoy yelled in response. He watched both of their faces carefully, trying to find any kind of sign. "Why do you both have such damn good poker faces?" He sighed in frustration.

"Bones, you know how to settle this," The Kirk beside McCoy said stiffly, pushing his weight against the wall. "Play the frequency."

"Fine by me," The speeder Kirk shrugged, still giving the other Kirk the death-stare. "Do it and you expose him."

"Wait," McCoy thought carefully. "Why did you both just agree on that?" McCoy asked as he programmed his tricorder to emit the frequency.

"Does it really matter?" The Kirk beside him asked, breathing heavily with the strained effort of standing. "Just play it!"

McCoy reluctantly pressed on the tricorder, which instantly exploded in his hands. He threw the remains to the ground as they caught on fire.

" _Fuck._ " The Kirk by the speeder cursed. "That's why those little bastards have immunity to the frequency. It doesn't work on their planet," He explained angrily.

"So how the hell do we figure out which one is the real Kirk?" One of the security officers questioned.

"We don't," McCoy decided. "We take them both back to the ship and figure things out from there."

"Bones, the moment you take that monster on-board the ship is the moment he turns on you and destroys it." The speeder Kirk insisted.

"That idiot just revealed his own plot, Bones! You can't seriously believe that he's not the imposter!" The Kirk beside McCoy laughed.

"Yeah, well who suggested we try the fake frequency in the first place?" The speeder Kirk countered. "Why would he suggest it if he already knew that it wouldn't work?"

"Because _I'm the real Kirk_!" The Kirk by McCoy scoffed. "Just stun him already!"

"What is going on?" Spock stepped out of the room, staring at both Kirks in confusion.

"Spock!" They both shouted in unison.

"Spock, mind-meld with me to prove that I'm the real Kirk!" The speeder Kirk commanded.

"Don't listen to him, Spock! What if he's just trying to trick you? For all we know, it could destroy your brain!" The Kirk beside McCoy argued. "Those bastards can change their form at will, I don't want to know what they can do to their own minds!"

Spock sat in silence for a second, contemplating his options. He took a small step towards the speeder Kirk.

"Spock," McCoy protested quietly.

"It is a calculated risk that I am willing to take," Spock said firmly and pressed his fingers against Kirk's face.

"Spock!" The Kirk besides McCoy cried out as Spock closed his eyes.

Spock's eyes snapped open again and he fired a phaser bolt directly into the other Kirk's chest. Kirk gripped his chest tightly and fell to the ground, his face twisting and morphing into a blue alien as he fell.

"Well, shit." Kirk laughed weakly as he watched him fall. "That went well."

"Jim," McCoy raced to Kirk's side, wrapping the man's arm around his shoulder and his own arm around Kirk's waist. Kirk slumped into the support, letting his muscles start to relax.

"Hey, Spock?" Kirk breathed. "Thanks for not shooting me."

Spock had to suppress a smile from crossing his lips. "Enterprise," Spock called into his communicator. "Eight to beam up."

/

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter! This story is coming to a close... :( Thanks for reading this far, and I hope you stick around for the rest! And, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!_

 _-buckminsterbarnes_


	28. Chapter 28

"Now what?" Kirk asked as they materialized in the transporter room of the Enterprise.

"Cap'n!" Scotty shouted gleefully.

"Hey, Scotty," Kirk nodded in his direction and McCoy pushed him forward a step, his arm still wrapped around the younger man's waist.

"Now, _you're_ going to go back to sickbay, and you won't be leaving for a long time." McCoy grumbled as he tried to will Kirk forward. "Scotty, call in a med team." He commanded.

"Delay that order, Scotty." Kirk huffed as he tried to keep the two from moving forward. "I'm not leaving this room until we figure out what to do next." McCoy opened his mouth to protest, but Kirk cut him off. "I'm tired of getting tossed around, Bones. I'm not going to get any rest until this is over, so why try and kid myself?"

A frown spread across McCoy's face. He didn't want to admit that Kirk was right, so he let his face do the talking instead.

"So," Kirk asked, barely able to stay on his feet, even with McCoy's help. "What did the satellite control room look like, and how long until they get it booted up again?"

"I managed to bypass their security protocols and modify their system. We are now in complete control of their base." Spock said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"I bet Chekov's proud," Kirk laughed weakly. "How strong is our grasp of their system? Like, how long will it take them to break our hold?" Kirk asked, trying keep upright.

"Based on my calculations, it is unlikely that the alien species will be able to override our control for several days, once Ensign Chekov has made his modifications." Spock said plainly, watching the Captain closely, ready to catch him if he fell.

"Good," Kirk smiled painfully, the blood stains combating the cheerful persona he was trying to convey. "Then we need to put that shield back up."

"We _what_ now?" McCoy asked in bewilderment.

"We need to use their own weapon against them," Kirk's shoulders started to sag as the last of his adrenaline started to wear off. "Let their own shield keep them on their miserable planet."

"That would be a temporary fix, Captain." Spock said, taking a small step towards Kirk, ready to catch him.

"It'll last until we get everything stitched back together at Starfleet." Kirk breathed, his muscles starting to give out under him, despite his protests. "Then we'll have the firepower to back up our threats."

"And what about Starfleet?" Spock asked, and McCoy nodded to Scotty, who silently called for a med team.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it," Kirk's eyes began to droop shut.

"You mean _cross_ that bridge," McCoy shifted and Kirk's eyes opened back up.

"Yeah, right. What did I say?" Kirk asked, his eyes beginning to close again.

"We can always wake you up when we reach Earth again, Captain." Spock suggested.

"Perfect." McCoy said sharply as the med team burst through the doors. Kirk didn't react as he tried to fight off unconsciousness. "Right, Jim?"

"M'hm." Kirk muttered as they laid him down onto a stretcher. "Sounds good," His eyes drooped shut and his body went limp. One of the doctors handed McCoy a tricorder, which he immediately set to work using on the broken Captain.

"Please rest up, Captain." Spock said quietly as they whisked Kirk off to the sickbay once again.

/

"You know, Bones, it's kind of a weird feeling." Kirk sighed heavily as McCoy pushed his wheelchair into the elevator.

"What's a weird feeling, Jim?" McCoy asked, his doctor instincts kicking in, making him reach for his tricorder.

"Just... being in this position." Kirk said quietly, almost like he wasn't talking to McCoy at all. McCoy retracted his hand and looked down at Kirk, who was staring at the doors of the elevator. "I didn't ask for any of this to happen."

"The infiltration of Starfleet? Well, I sure as hell hope you didn't," McCoy bantered in his typical grumpy-old-man fashion.

"I mean the responsibility of this ship. This crew." Kirk said, ignoring what McCoy had just said. The seriousness of the situation settled over McCoy as he watched Kirk still stare straight ahead.

"You _did_ sign up to be a Captain, Jim." McCoy said soothingly.

"Yeah, but this isn't what I expected." He shrugged slightly. "I didn't expect for all of you to throw yourselves into dangerous situations just to save me. I didn't expect for all of you to follow me to the corners of the universe."

"I don't think that any of us did, Jim. But thank God our expectations aren't always reality. I wouldn't have changed a damn thing if it meant that I wouldn't be on this damned tin can with you." McCoy said quietly. Can I ask you why you're saying this now?" McCoy asked after a brief cause.

"I dunno," Kirk shrugged again and sighed. "I guess it just comes with you risking your lives to come down to that planet and save me, and pulling me out of a drug induced coma just to try and smooth things over with Starfleet. You know, among other things." He paused. "That's just a lot of faith to put in one person."

"We wouldn't put that faith in you unless we thought that it was warranted. Jim, we wouldn't trust in you so much if we thought you weren't the best person to do the job." McCoy breathed. "Besides, would you rather us listen to that half-breed robot up there on the bridge?" McCoy jested.

"Yeah." Kirk half-laughed. "I just don't want to screw this up, Bones. All of our jobs and _lives_ rely on me saying the right things to Starfleet."

"You're not going to screw this up, Jim. If there's anyone in the universe that can do this, it's _you._ We all know this. And I wouldn't have pumped so many drugs into your body if it made you feel any different."

"It's not the drugs," Kirk sighed. "Except for maybe they make me more open to sharing. Why _am_ I telling you this?"

"Because I'm your friend, Jim. And you're scared. I know you are. And you have every right to be. Just don't let that fear get in your way." McCoy said reassuringly and Kirk nodded slowly.

"You're not going to bring this little conversation up when I'm finally off this painkiller high, are you?" Kirk turned his head to almost see McCoy.

"Oh, I'm _never_ going to let this one go," McCoy smiled, because he knew Kirk couldn't see it.

"Great." Kirk laughed, a little more assuredly this time. "Maybe I _should_ convince Starfleet to vaporize us on sight, then."

"Hey, if it means I _finally_ get to escape this tin can of death, then I'm all for it." McCoy shrugged, the smile still on his lips. Though he couldn't see it, he could tell Kirk was smiling, too. He watched the young captain straighten himself in the wheelchair as the elevator slowed to a stop. He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and pushed him through the doors and onto the bridge.

"Keptin on zhe bridge!" Chekov's small voice squeaked and the smile on Kirk's face spread wider.

"Captain," Spock nodded to Kirk and gestured to the chair. "Please attempt to stay on the bridge this time."

"Wait a second, did _Spock_ just crack a _joke_?" Kirk gaped as McCoy pushed him to the chair.

"Unimportant." Spock shrugged as he helped McCoy lift Kirk into his chair. "Regardless, I am pleased that we only have one Captain Kirk to deal with again. Two would have been... overbearing." A small smile spread across Spock's lips.

"Oh my God, two in one day." Kirk laughed as he settled himself in the chair. "Must be some kind of record." He chuckled as he leaned heavily on one side of the chair.

"Captain, are you ready to start the transmission?" Uhura asked from her station.

"Give 'em a ring, Uhura." Kirk nodded to her and the screen blinked to life. The entire council appeared on the screen, much to Kirk's surprise.

"Captain James Tiberius Kirk," The man in the speaker's position said firmly, his voice echoing through the bridge. "The resurrected man."

"That's right," Kirk said calmly, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, his chest burning slightly as he did.

"You're also the man who managed to send this entire organization into anarchy and pure chaos." The speaker continued and Kirk's heart skipped a beat.

"To be fair, that's not really my fault. There we traitors in our midst, and I was just causing the chaos before things had a chance to get worse." Kirk argued and the entire bridge held its breath.

"You and your crew were declared to be rogue Starfleet members acting outside of orders." The speaker continued and Kirk's head started spinning as he curse continuously in his head. "In other words, you and each of your crew members committed treason. Criminals of this regard are typically detained and dealt with immediately.

Sulu turned around from his station and stared at the Captain. Kirk looked to him and saw in his eyes that the man had a plan. Sulu looked back at his controls briefly, which Kirk deciphered to mean that he could warp them out of danger. Kirk held his hand up slightly, telling him to stand down.

"However," The speaker sighed. "Considering the circumstances of the situation. We have deemed that your detention is unnecessary, as is the detention of your crew." Kirk breathed a sigh of relief. "And all charges against you have been dropped, pending you submit all logs of the event."

"Yes sir," Kirk nodded quickly. "Thank you, council."

"That is not all," The speaker continued and Kirk's eyebrow raised slightly. "It has been moved that your command be relinquished due to the controversy surrounding your death," Kirk held his breath again. "However, it seems you have no shortage of allies at Starfleet. There are many rallying to your support, forcing us to renew your command immediately. Congratulations, Captain. You and your crew have clearance to land, and you will be transported to Earth for debriefing and shore leave while your ship is repaired."

"Thank you, council. You won't regret this." Kirk sat up straighter in his chair as he spoke quickly.

"Council adjourned." The screen flipped back to the view of Earth and the entire crew breathed out in relief.

"See, Jim? You didn't even have to do any talking." McCoy said, his voice edged with pride.

Kirk sighed in relief as he gripped the bridge of his nose. He closed his eyes tightly, his brain processing what had just happened. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"The world's going to be happy to have you back Jim, just like us." McCoy could barely contain the smile threatening to spread across his face.

"Mr. Sulu," Kirk picked up his head and smiled. "Let's go home."

/

"You know, you're too eager to get back into the soul-sucking void of space." McCoy grumbled as he sat beside Kirk on the shuttle.

"What, you'd rather stay here and face the bureaucracy of putting the shatter Starfleet back together?" Kirk scoffed. "No thank you. I'd rather be off exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations. Let's get back to boldly going, Bones." Kirk smiled widely as he watched through the window of the shuttle.

"Oh, so you finish with your convalescence and you think that everything's just going to go back to normal?" McCoy asked, feigning anger.

"Well, that's usually how these things work, yeah." Kirk laughed. "Back me up here, Spock."

"The Captain is correct," Spock called from Kirk's other side.

"Oh please, you'd take his side no matter what if it meant that you'd get to side against me." McCoy grumbled, as he tried to hide the smile on his face. He was glad that everything was returning to normal.

"That is inaccurate, Doctor." Spock stated plainly.

"Oh, please _do_ elaborate." McCoy's words dripped with sarcasm.

"I did indeed argue on your side when the fate of the planet of shape-shifters was involved, simply because it was the logical argument." Spock shrugged.

"Hang on a second, did you just call me _logical_?" McCoy asked in disbelief.

"Once again, Doctor, you are misinterpreting my words." Spock continued. "I was simply suggesting that your _idea_ was logical. That does not automatically mean that _you_ are logical."

"I thought that we did all the arguing on the council floor when we decided to send squads out to isolate all of the shape-shifters on their home planet." Kirk laughed.

"Well, apparently _not,_ because this green-blooded hobgoblin has the _audacity_ to call me illogical," McCoy bantered. "Now, if that's not picking a fight, I don't know what is."

"Vulcans do not attempt to incite violence unless it is logical and necessary to do so." Spock said plainly.

"Oh, _really_? Well, I'd just _love_ to hear the 'logic' behind calling me illogical, then!" McCoy raised his voice.

Kirk stared out the window at the hangar, which was just starting to come closer. He could barely hear the bickering between his two best friends as they came closer and closer. The hangar doors opened and revealed his beloved ship, glimmering with her newly-repaired splendor. A smile spread across his lips as he watched them come nearer and nearer, his mind already racing, thinking of all of the possibilities of their future adventures.

"To boldly going," Kirk nodded at the Enterprise, his eyes sparkling.

"Where no man has gone before!" The rest of the crew chimed in and Kirk's heart felt light.

 _I'm home._

 **THE END**

/

 _Thank you so much for reading! I had such a good time writing this adventure, and I hope you had just as much fun reading it! It's been a wild ride, and I want to thank you for all of your support and feedback! I hope that you'll consider reading my other fanfics and maybe even adding me to your alert list so that you'll see when I come out with some new stories (P.S., I already have one in the works...) Thank you again for all of your support and for reading. So, I guess, all that's left to say now, is live long and prosper._

 _-buckminsterbarnes :)_


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